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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 116 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 · charge · nail · row · fork · tear · lash

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. row — a line
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. row — to paddle
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. charge — electricity
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. file — a tool
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. fork — in a road
  19. file — a document
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. charge — a price
  22. file — a line of people
  23. tear — to rip
  24. wax — to grow

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