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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.

Make a worksheet

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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. file — a line of people
  4. saw — the tool
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. file — a document
  7. wax — to grow
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. scale — in music
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. lean — to bend
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. lean — thin
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. game — wild animals
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. saw — the tool
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. file — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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