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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. scale — in music
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. file — a document
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pitch — completely
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. spring — of water
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. spring — the season
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. season — of the year
  20. wax — to grow
  21. season — in sport
  22. plane — a tool
  23. file — a tool
  24. deal — to handle

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