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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. cap — a hat
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wax — to grow
  7. file — a document
  8. cap — of ice
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. squash — the sport
  11. saw — the tool
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. spell — magic
  14. saw — the tool
  15. file — a tool
  16. spell — letters
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. spell — a short time
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. squash — to crush
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. cap — a lid

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