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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: file · track · staff · object · land · wax · stock · deal

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. land — ground
  3. deal — to handle
  4. land — to come down
  5. object — an aim
  6. land — a country
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. staff — a stick
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. file — a tool
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. file — a document
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. stock — shares
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. object — to protest
  20. stock — goods
  21. track — to keep track
  22. file — a line of people
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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