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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: rush · fall · wax · file · bark · scale · bulb · pass

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. scale — size or range
  4. fall — to drop
  5. file — a tool
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. scale — in music
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fall — the season
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pass — a permit
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a document
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bark — to shout

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