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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. staff — employees
  4. current — happening now
  5. file — a document
  6. lean — thin
  7. clip — for paper
  8. lean — to bend
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. prune — to trim
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wax — to grow
  14. current — of water
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. file — a tool
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. current — electric
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. file — a line of people
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. clip — a video
  24. pass — to succeed

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