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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: foot · toast · can · rest · wax · file · nail · mine

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. file — a document
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. can — a tin
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. foot — a measure
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — for digging
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rest — what's left
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. rest — what's left
  15. toast — bread
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. can — to be able to
  18. file — a tool
  19. rest — a break
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. can — a tin
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. file — a line of people

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