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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 120 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: file · fan · nail · drill · pass · game · face · wax

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. face — to confront
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wax — to grow
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. face — to point toward
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. file — a tool
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pass — a permit
  18. drill — a practice
  19. file — a document
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. game — a kind of play

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