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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: file · cap · object · wave · chip · cold · wax · mouse

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. object — a thing
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — for betting
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. file — a tool
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. object — to protest
  12. cold — an illness
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cap — of ice
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a document
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. object — an aim

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