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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: chest · file · prune · wax · sharp · rush · fine · swing

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. swing — music
  3. file — a line of people
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wax — to grow
  7. swing — to play on
  8. fine — all right
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. prune — to trim
  11. swing — in golf
  12. rush — hurry
  13. chest — a box
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. chest — of your body
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. prune — to trim
  19. sharp — clever
  20. fine — high quality
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. chest — of your body
  24. file — a tool

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