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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: file · scale · mate · nail · wax · club · spell · straw

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. scale — size or range
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mate — a partner
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. file — a document
  9. spell — letters
  10. club — for golf
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. file — a tool
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. club — a group
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. mate — to breed
  19. spell — a short time
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mate — a friend
  22. scale — in music
  23. spell — magic
  24. scale — for weighing

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