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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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a line of people
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bore — to drill
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. file — a tool
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bore — to tire
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. arm — a part of something

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