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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. lean — thin
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. file — a document
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. lean — to bend
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. file — a line of people
  13. plane — a tool
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. ball — a great time
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. wax — to grow
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. ball — a dance
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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