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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
468
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: file · rash · ball · wax · scale · sharp · date · tear

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. date — the fruit
  3. file — a document
  4. scale — size or range
  5. file — a line of people
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. file — a tool
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. scale — in music
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rash — hasty
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. ball — a great time
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wax — to grow
  21. sharp — clever
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rash — a series
  24. ball — a dance

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