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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: leaves · wax · fall · track · file · wound · fan · perch

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. file — a line of people
  4. track — a path
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wax — to grow
  8. file — a document
  9. track — a song
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. track — to keep track
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. fall — the season
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. perch — the fish
  19. fall — to drop
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. file — a tool
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fan — a supporter

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