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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. file — a tool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wax — to grow
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. file — a document
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pitch — completely
  15. file — a line of people
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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