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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. last — to go on
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. file — a line of people
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. key — the most important part
  14. tear — from crying
  15. branch — a division
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. key — for a lock
  18. file — a tool
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. last — final
  21. key — in music
  22. last — finally
  23. sharp — clever
  24. tear — from crying

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