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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 116 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: bank · stick · field · kid · saw · file · dip · wax

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wax — to grow
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. file — a document
  11. kid — child
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. field — farmland
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. kid — to tease
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. file — a tool
  20. field — for sport
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. field — a subject
  24. bank — for money

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