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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: wax · leaves · roll · sharp · file · trunk · saw · drill

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. drill — army training
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. file — a document
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. drill — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. roll — a cake
  15. saw — the tool
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. roll — a list
  19. sharp — clever
  20. file — a line of people
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. saw — the tool
  24. file — a tool

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