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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. clip — for paper
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. file — a document
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. saw — the tool
  7. file — a line of people
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pound — a weight
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. wax — to grow
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. clip — a video
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — for dogs

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