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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.

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: straw · march · content · degree · bore · wax · file · fan

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. degree — an amount
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. file — a document
  9. content — the amount
  10. march — the month
  11. bore — to drill
  12. march — music
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. degree — temperature
  15. march — the month
  16. content — happy
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. degree — from a university
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bore — to tire
  22. file — a tool
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bore — gave birth

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