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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 · jam · wax · swing · season · squash · board · face

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. swing — music
  4. file — a document
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to confront
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. season — of the year
  10. board — to get on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. squash — the sport
  14. file — a line of people
  15. swing — to play on
  16. wax — to grow
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. season — in sport
  21. face — to point toward
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. jam — in traffic

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