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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bound — obliged
  6. file — a document
  7. bound — certain
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bat — the animal
  10. foot — a measure
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wax — to grow
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. file — a tool

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