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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.

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: season · racket · staff · file · wax · lean · current · net

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. file — a tool
  3. lean — thin
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wax — to grow
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. net — after costs
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. current — happening now
  10. season — in sport
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. lean — to bend
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. net — for catching
  16. current — electric
  17. staff — a stick
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. file — a document
  20. net — in sport
  21. current — of water
  22. season — of the year
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wax — in the ear

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