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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. roll — a cake
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. cue — for pool
  7. band — a music group
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cue — a signal
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. file — a line of people
  14. band — a ring
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. roll — a list
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. file — a tool
  19. cue — a hint
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pitch — completely
  23. stand — to bear
  24. roll — on a roll

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