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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 116 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rest — what's left
  5. degree — an amount
  6. file — a tool
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. spring — the season
  10. degree — from a university
  11. file — a document
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bark — to shout
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. charge — in control
  16. spring — of water
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rest — a break
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wax — to grow
  21. fine — all right
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — electricity
  24. wax — in the ear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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