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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.

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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pit — in a race
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pit — a hole
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. rash — hasty
  18. file — a tool
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. rash — a series

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