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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: band · wind · game · file · rush · calf · wax · lie

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. file — a line of people
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. file — a document
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. game — wild animals
  9. band — a music group
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. file — a tool
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wax — to grow
  16. band — a ring
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. game — a match
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rush — hurry
  23. lie — to recline
  24. wind — moving air

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