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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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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 · wax · rule · club · file · row · dip · wave

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — government
  4. file — a tool
  5. club — for dancing
  6. file — a line of people
  7. row — to paddle
  8. file — a document
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — a line
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. club — a group
  16. band — a music group
  17. rule — a law
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. dip — to sink
  22. club — for golf
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. dip — a sauce

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