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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pop — to visit
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. file — a line of people
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. wax — to grow
  8. lie — to recline
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. rash — a series
  14. pop — music
  15. file — a document
  16. deal — to handle
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pop — soda
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. rash — hasty
  24. mouse — the animal

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