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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: wax · saw · spring · file · arm · cabinet · pitcher · pass

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. spring — a coil
  10. file — a document
  11. spring — of water
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pass — a permit
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. file — a line of people
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. file — a tool
  24. wax — to grow

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