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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: wax · drill · file · patient · pass · band · land · object

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. drill — army training
  3. pass — a permit
  4. object — to protest
  5. wax — to grow
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. drill — a practice
  14. object — a thing
  15. band — a ring
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. drill — the tool
  19. file — a document
  20. band — a music group
  21. object — an aim
  22. file — a tool
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. land — a country

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