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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: file · wake · patient · straw · band · rule · pitch · wax

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. pitch — completely
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. file — a tool
  6. band — a music group
  7. wake — a trail
  8. band — a ring
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. file — a line of people
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. rule — a law
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. rule — government
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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