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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: net · chest · band · file · tube · wax · roll · fine

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. file — a document
  3. net — in sport
  4. file — a line of people
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. net — for catching
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. chest — of your body
  9. fine — all right
  10. band — a ring
  11. net — after costs
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. file — a tool
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. tube — a container
  18. chest — of your body
  19. band — a music group
  20. tube — the underground
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. chest — a box
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — a cake

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