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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: fine · file · hand · bore · lean · wax · wave · wake

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. lean — thin
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. fine — high quality
  13. file — a line of people
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bore — to drill
  16. hand — help
  17. wake — a trail
  18. hand — in cards
  19. fine — all right
  20. bore — to tire
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. lean — to bend

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