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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: cue · scale · jam · trunk · file · present · wax · rash

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. present — a gift
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. present — the time now
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. present — there
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. scale — in music
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wax — to grow
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cue — a signal
  19. file — a line of people
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rash — hasty
  22. file — a tool
  23. rash — a series
  24. trunk — of a tree

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