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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: staff · wax · scale · cold · file · rash · current · deal

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rash — a series
  4. file — a line of people
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. rash — hasty
  11. file — a tool
  12. cold — an illness
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. current — of water
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. current — happening now
  19. deal — to handle
  20. file — a document
  21. scale — in music
  22. staff — a stick
  23. current — electric
  24. cold — not warm

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