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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. file — a document
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. band — a ring
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. band — a music group
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. tube — the underground
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. lean — thin
  19. file — a tool
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  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