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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: chair · saw · track · roll · land · wax · staff · file

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. wax — to grow
  4. track — a path
  5. staff — a stick
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. staff — employees
  8. file — a line of people
  9. roll — a cake
  10. land — to come down
  11. staff — employees
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. file — a tool
  14. track — to keep track
  15. file — a document
  16. saw — the tool
  17. track — a song
  18. chair — a leader
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. land — ground
  22. roll — a list
  23. saw — the tool
  24. land — a country

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