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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: squash · sharp · wax · rash · cue · wake · file · branch

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. file — a document
  5. cue — for pool
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. squash — the sport
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wax — to grow
  17. branch — a division
  18. rash — hasty
  19. sharp — clever
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wake — a trail
  22. rash — a series
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. branch — of a tree

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