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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: wax · board · straw · mouse · fine · chair · pound · file

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. pound — a weight
  7. chair — a leader
  8. board — to get on
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. board — a committee
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. fine — all right
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. file — a tool
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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