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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. wax — to grow
  3. dip — to sink
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. file — a tool
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. mine — for digging
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wake — a trail
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. file — a document
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. rest — a break

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