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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. file — a line of people
  3. present — a gift
  4. fork — in a road
  5. file — a document
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mark — a grade
  11. present — there
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. file — a tool
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — the animal
  19. mark — a trace
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. present — the time now
  24. ruler — for measuring

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