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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 116 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: game · band · can · wax · squash · last · drill · file

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. can — a tin
  3. last — to go on
  4. file — a document
  5. squash — to crush
  6. can — a tin
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. file — a tool
  9. band — a music group
  10. drill — army training
  11. squash — the sport
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. drill — the tool
  15. band — a ring
  16. drill — a practice
  17. can — to be able to
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. game — a match
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. last — finally
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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