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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: cap · deal · track · temple · wax · pound · file · rest

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. track — a song
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. pound — a weight
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. file — a document
  9. cap — of ice
  10. file — a line of people
  11. cap — a lid
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. track — a path
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. rest — a break
  21. deal — to handle
  22. rest — what's left
  23. track — to keep track
  24. cap — a hat

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