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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: wax · file · rash · wake · saw · hide · track · foot

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. foot — a measure
  4. file — a line of people
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. rash — a series
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wax — to grow
  10. track — a path
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. file — a document
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. track — a song
  16. file — a tool
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. wake — a trail
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. track — to keep track
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. saw — the tool

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