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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: nail · branch · wax · rule · tube · clip · file · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wax — to grow
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. rule — a law
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. file — a document
  8. tube — a container
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. file — a line of people
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. file — a tool
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rule — government
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. clip — to cut
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bass — low music

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