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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 · fan · track · coach · bark · spell · file · hide

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. file — a tool
  5. track — a path
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. spell — magic
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. track — to keep track
  11. file — a document
  12. track — a song
  13. file — a line of people
  14. spell — letters
  15. bark — to shout
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — 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