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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: arm · wax · file · fork · fine · rule · chair · rash

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rash — a series
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. chair — a leader
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rule — a law
  15. rash — hasty
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. file — a line of people
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — government
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — all right

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