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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: wax · net · file · tube · saw · nail · rush · chair

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. net — for catching
  6. file — a line of people
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. file — a tool
  18. net — after costs
  19. tube — a container
  20. wax — to grow
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. tube — the underground
  23. file — a document
  24. tube — in a tire

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