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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: file · swing · wax · board · cold · jam · pitcher · bark

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. file — a line of people
  3. cold — an illness
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. swing — to play on
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. file — a document
  12. board — to get on
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. board — a committee
  16. bark — to shout
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. swing — in golf
  19. wax — to grow
  20. file — a tool
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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