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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.

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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: mark · drill · wax · mouse · wake · land · leaves · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wax — to grow
  3. land — to come down
  4. mark — a grade
  5. drill — army training
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. land — a country
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. land — ground
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. file — a document
  24. leaves — to go away

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