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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 · mine · file · wave · march · pitch · band · bay

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. file — a tool
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. march — the month
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a music group
  19. file — a document
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a horse colour

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