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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. file — a document
  3. tear — from crying
  4. march — music
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. march — the month
  11. branch — a division
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. march — the month
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. face — part of the head
  16. tear — from crying
  17. can — a tin
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. can — to be able to
  21. face — to confront
  22. tear — to rip
  23. can — a tin
  24. wax — to grow

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