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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: stock · field · file · cap · lean · wax · deal · nail

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. cap — of ice
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. cap — a lid
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. file — a line of people
  8. stock — shares
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cap — a hat
  11. field — for sport
  12. stock — goods
  13. field — a subject
  14. lean — to bend
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. file — a document
  18. field — farmland
  19. deal — to handle
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lean — thin
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. file — a tool
  24. nail — for a hammer

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