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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: kid · foot · fall · mouse · sharp · file · charge · wax

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. file — a document
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. kid — to tease
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fall — the season
  9. sharp — clever
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. file — a tool
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. charge — electricity
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. charge — in control
  20. kid — child
  21. charge — a price
  22. fall — to drop
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fall — to drop

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