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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 116 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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. firm — steady
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. snap — to click
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. firm — decided
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cell — a phone
  18. object — a thing
  19. perch — the fish
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. object — to protest
  22. firm — a company
  23. object — an aim
  24. cell — in biology

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