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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. band — a music group
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. suit — to fit
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. file — a document
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — clothes
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wax — to grow
  13. file — a tool
  14. rock — a stone
  15. file — a line of people
  16. cold — not warm
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. band — a ring
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. rock — music
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. saw — the 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