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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. file — a tool
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bear — the animal
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. band — a ring
  11. march — music
  12. band — a music group
  13. file — a document
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. file — a line of people
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bear — the animal

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