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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  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. craft — a skill
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. file — a document
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — to grow
  7. rock — music
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. face — part of the head
  13. file — a line of people
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. chip — for betting
  17. staff — employees
  18. rock — a stone
  19. craft — boats
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. staff — employees
  23. bat — for baseball
  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