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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 120 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: hand · leaves · bowl · object · wax · file · fine · rest

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. object — to protest
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fine — high quality
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. hand — in cards
  13. file — a tool
  14. object — an aim
  15. hand — help
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. object — a thing
  18. wax — to grow
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. file — a document
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. wax — for sculpting

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