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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 120 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: chair · file · rule · wax · mug · straw · wake · mate

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mate — a friend
  8. rule — government
  9. mug — a face
  10. rule — a law
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. file — a document
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. chair — a leader
  17. file — a tool
  18. wax — to grow
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. mug — to rob
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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