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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. roll — a cake
  3. present — a gift
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. present — there
  6. wax — to grow
  7. lie — to recline
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. file — a tool
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. object — to protest
  13. file — a document
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. present — the time now
  18. roll — a list
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. object — an aim
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. file — a line of people

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