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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. drill — army training
  3. wax — to grow
  4. craft — boats
  5. present — the time now
  6. spring — the season
  7. file — a document
  8. drill — the tool
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. present — there
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. drill — a practice
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. spring — of water
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. file — a tool
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. present — a gift
  24. craft — a skill

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