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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. rest — what's left
  7. fine — all right
  8. cap — of ice
  9. fine — high quality
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wax — to grow
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. branch — a division
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. file — a document
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rest — a break

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