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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.

Make a worksheet

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: racket · root · wax · fine · file · rush · foot · row

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. file — a line of people
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. root — of a word
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. row — a line
  12. fine — high quality
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. file — a document
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. foot — a measure
  18. root — of a plant
  19. row — to paddle
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. root — the cause
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. file — a tool

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