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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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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 · fall · wax · arm · pit · firm · club · root

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. firm — decided
  3. file — a tool
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. root — of a word
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. root — the cause
  11. pit — a hole
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. file — a document
  15. firm — a company
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wax — to grow
  18. club — a group
  19. firm — steady
  20. club — for dancing
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. root — of a plant
  23. club — for golf
  24. wax — for sculpting

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