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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rule · bank · row · wax · file · foot · spring · ground

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. row — a line
  4. spring — of water
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a tool
  7. foot — a measure
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bank — of a river
  10. spring — the season
  11. bank — for money
  12. row — to paddle
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. ground — the earth
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. rule — government
  18. file — a document
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. rule — a law
  21. bank — for money
  22. ground — a position
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. ground — crushed

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