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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: ball · date · ruler · saw · field · file · bound · wax

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bound — obliged
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. ball — a great time
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. date — the fruit
  10. file — a tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. field — a subject
  14. bound — tied together
  15. field — for sport
  16. wax — to grow
  17. field — farmland
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. file — a document
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bound — certain
  24. ball — a dance

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