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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · rule · wax · object · kid · leaves · jam · file

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. file — a document
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — child
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. object — to protest
  8. kid — to tease
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. rule — a law
  11. file — a line of people
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. object — a thing
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. file — a tool
  16. wax — to grow
  17. object — an aim
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. rule — government
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. perch — the fish
  24. leaves — to go away

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