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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: spring · rest · wax · file · snap · rash · deal · hand

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. spring — a coil
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. wax — to grow
  11. rest — a break
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. hand — help
  15. spring — the season
  16. rash — hasty
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. spring — of water
  20. rest — what's left
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rash — a series
  24. wax — for sculpting

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