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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bound — tied together
  3. file — a line of people
  4. mark — a grade
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wound — an injury
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. tear — from crying
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. file — a tool
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. file — a document
  19. wound — an injury
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. perch — the fish
  24. mark — to pay attention

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