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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.

Make a worksheet

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: file · field · mark · ball · wave · arm · cap · wax

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. ball — a great time
  4. field — for sport
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. file — a line of people
  9. field — a subject
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. ball — a dance
  12. cap — a hat
  13. mark — a trace
  14. field — farmland
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. file — a document
  18. mark — a grade
  19. cap — of ice
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cap — a lid
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. file — a tool
  24. arm — a part of something

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