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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. file — a tool
  5. wax — to grow
  6. file — a document
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. cap — a lid
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cap — a hat
  17. current — of water
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. current — electric
  20. current — happening now
  21. file — a line of people
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. lean — to bend
  24. pitcher — a jug

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