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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: stand · wax · board · nail · swing · net · fan · file

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — to bear
  6. net — for catching
  7. wax — to grow
  8. board — to get on
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. file — a tool
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. net — in sport
  14. file — a document
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. swing — music
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. board — a committee
  20. swing — to play on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. net — after costs
  24. file — a line of people

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