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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: wake · sharp · tear · fine · date · file · wax · firm

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. tear — to rip
  5. firm — decided
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. tear — from crying
  9. firm — steady
  10. fine — all right
  11. date — the fruit
  12. file — a tool
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. sharp — clever
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. file — a document
  20. firm — a company
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wake — a trail
  23. fine — high quality
  24. sharp — with an edge

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