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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.

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: ruler · field · net · wax · file · staff · stem · mate

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. net — in sport
  4. file — a tool
  5. mate — a partner
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. field — farmland
  8. staff — a stick
  9. field — a subject
  10. net — after costs
  11. staff — employees
  12. stem — to come from
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. staff — employees
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a friend
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a document
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wax — to grow
  24. field — for sport

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