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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wax — to grow
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. file — a document
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. kick — in football
  9. current — electric
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. file — a line of people
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. scale — size or range
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. current — happening now
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. current — of water
  24. scale — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com