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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: wax · chair · lean · drill · file · pass · mark · deal

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mark — a trace
  3. drill — the tool
  4. lean — to bend
  5. pass — a permit
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. drill — army training
  11. chair — a leader
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. deal — to handle
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a document
  17. lean — thin
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. file — a line of people
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mark — a grade
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pass — to succeed

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