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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wake — a trail
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. swing — to play on
  7. rest — a break
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. present — a gift
  11. swing — in golf
  12. rest — what's left
  13. swing — music
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. file — a tool
  16. rest — what's left
  17. present — the time now
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. file — a line of people
  20. present — there
  21. branch — a division
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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