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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: band · stand · file · spell · wax · sharp · chip · staff

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. spell — magic
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. staff — employees
  5. wax — to grow
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a line of people
  12. chip — to eat
  13. stand — to bear
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. sharp — clever
  17. staff — employees
  18. file — a tool
  19. band — a music group
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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