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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: rule · jam · file · wax · cell · bowl · cabinet · fine

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. file — a document
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. rule — a law
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. file — a tool
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. fine — all right
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. cell — a phone
  22. file — a line of people
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rule — government

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