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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: wax · file · chair · pass · spring · net · fork · key

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. net — in sport
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. file — a document
  8. key — for a lock
  9. net — for catching
  10. wax — to grow
  11. spring — a coil
  12. pass — a permit
  13. key — in music
  14. spring — of water
  15. file — a line of people
  16. net — after costs
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. key — the most important part
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. file — a tool
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. spring — the season

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