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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. file — a tool
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. net — for catching
  5. wind — moving air
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. net — in sport
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. net — after costs
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. wax — to grow
  18. row — a line
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. file — a document
  24. bay — a horse colour

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