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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: perch · file · can · hand · spring · wax · mark · rock

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. wax — to grow
  7. rock — a stone
  8. can — to be able to
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. rock — music
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. file — a line of people
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mark — a trace
  22. spring — a coil
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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