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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 120 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. file — a document
  3. mate — a partner
  4. saw — the tool
  5. net — for catching
  6. file — a line of people
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. face — to point toward
  10. dip — to sink
  11. face — to confront
  12. file — a tool
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pit — in a race
  15. wax — to grow
  16. face — part of the head
  17. net — after costs
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. net — in sport
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pit — a hole
  23. saw — the tool
  24. dip — to dunk

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