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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: object · file · squash · mate · leaves · cap · band · wax

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — an aim
  8. wax — to grow
  9. object — to protest
  10. mate — a friend
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. file — a tool
  18. mate — a partner
  19. band — a ring
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cap — a hat
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. leaves — to go away

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