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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
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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: fine · wax · drill · tear · arm · chip · file · squash

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. squash — the sport
  3. tear — from crying
  4. file — a tool
  5. tear — to rip
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. chip — to eat
  14. drill — army training
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a document
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. drill — the tool
  19. squash — to crush
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. drill — a practice

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