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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wax · rest · race · file · tube · firm · track · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. spell — magic
  5. file — a document
  6. track — a song
  7. rest — what's left
  8. file — a tool
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. firm — a company
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. race — a contest
  16. rest — a break
  17. track — a path
  18. wax — to grow
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rest — what's left
  21. spell — a short time
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — steady
  24. tube — a container

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