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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 116 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: leaves · file · prune · tube · wax · band · pit · chair

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. wax — to grow
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. file — a tool
  7. band — a music group
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pit — in a race
  12. chair — a leader
  13. band — a ring
  14. prune — to trim
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. file — a line of people
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. tube — a container
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pit — a hole
  22. file — a document
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. wax — in the ear

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