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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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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: club · cell · file · land · wax · last · cabinet · racket

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. file — a line of people
  3. club — a group
  4. last — final
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. club — for dancing
  8. cell — in biology
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. land — a country
  13. club — for golf
  14. land — ground
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. last — finally
  17. cell — a phone
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. land — to come down
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. last — to go on
  24. wax — to grow

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