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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. file — a line of people
  4. squash — to crush
  5. scale — in music
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. scale — size or range
  9. file — a document
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wound — an injury
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pit — a hole
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — in a race
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. file — a tool
  24. leaves — to go away

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