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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: clip · tear · file · wax · lie · stand · deal · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. wax — to grow
  3. lie — to recline
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. tear — to rip
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. file — a document
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. deal — to handle
  15. stand — to bear
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. rash — a series
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. clip — to cut
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. deal — a big deal

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