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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: track · fine · drill · band · face · root · wax · file

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. band — a ring
  3. file — a document
  4. track — a path
  5. wax — to grow
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. face — to point toward
  9. band — a music group
  10. track — a song
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. root — of a plant
  14. file — a line of people
  15. face — part of the head
  16. root — of a word
  17. face — to confront
  18. fine — high quality
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. root — the cause
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. fine — all right
  24. file — a tool

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