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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: mouse · fan · rash · file · stand · wax · foot · sharp

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. stand — to bear
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. file — a tool
  14. wax — to grow
  15. sharp — clever
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. file — a line of people
  19. rash — a series
  20. file — a document
  21. rash — hasty
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. sharp — exactly

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