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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: mate · bay · wax · last · deal · file · field · dip

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. field — farmland
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. last — finally
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. last — to go on
  11. mate — a friend
  12. file — a line of people
  13. field — for sport
  14. dip — to sink
  15. mate — to breed
  16. last — final
  17. file — a tool
  18. wax — to grow
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. mate — a partner
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. field — a subject

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