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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: file · field · ground · pit · firm · rush · kid · wax

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. file — a document
  4. ground — crushed
  5. field — for sport
  6. pit — in a race
  7. ground — the earth
  8. wax — to grow
  9. firm — steady
  10. field — a subject
  11. file — a tool
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — hurry
  14. ground — a position
  15. field — farmland
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. firm — decided
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. firm — a company
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. file — a line of people
  24. pit — a hole

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