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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. file — a line of people
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. drill — army training
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. can — a tin
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. row — to paddle
  12. drill — a practice
  13. row — a line
  14. can — to be able to
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. can — a tin
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bulb — for light
  19. file — a tool
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. file — a document
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bulb — for light

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