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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 120 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: present · wax · staff · band · file · leaves · rash · fall

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. present — there
  8. staff — employees
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. fall — the season
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. file — a tool
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. band — a music group
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rash — a series
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a document
  19. staff — employees
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — a gift
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. band — a ring

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