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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: fall · pass · pitcher · file · wax · drill · squash · last

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. fall — to drop
  3. file — a document
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. last — to go on
  7. file — a line of people
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pass — a permit
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. fall — the season
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. last — final
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. squash — to crush
  19. wax — to grow
  20. file — a tool
  21. last — finally
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. squash — the sport

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