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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: can · rash · rush · wax · cue · file · row · pound

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — hasty
  3. can — a tin
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. file — a tool
  8. pound — a weight
  9. row — a line
  10. can — a tin
  11. cue — for pool
  12. rush — hurry
  13. file — a document
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. can — to be able to
  17. wax — to grow
  18. cue — a signal
  19. file — a line of people
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cue — a hint
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. row — to paddle

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