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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. date — the fruit
  5. current — happening now
  6. face — to confront
  7. bear — the animal
  8. face — to point toward
  9. current — of water
  10. bear — the animal
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. file — a tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. file — a line of people
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. current — electric
  18. tear — to rip
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. board — to get on
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. tear — from crying
  24. board — a committee

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