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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cell — in biology
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. spell — a short time
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. file — a tool
  11. spell — letters
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. fork — in a road
  17. spell — magic
  18. file — a document
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. shower — to wash
  21. ground — crushed
  22. cell — a phone
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. ground — a position

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