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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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Word bank
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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: file · mine · march · foot · nail · staff · track · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. staff — a stick
  4. track — a path
  5. file — a tool
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. march — the month
  8. track — to keep track
  9. file — a line of people
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. foot — a measure
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. track — a song
  19. staff — employees
  20. mine — for digging
  21. staff — employees
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. file — a document

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