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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. squash — to crush
  3. suit — in cards
  4. squash — the sport
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. suit — to fit
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. file — a tool
  10. net — for catching
  11. board — a committee
  12. net — after costs
  13. suit — clothes
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. net — in sport
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. file — a line of people
  18. stem — to come from
  19. wax — to grow
  20. board — to get on
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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