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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 · stem · stick · date · lean · lash · drill · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. date — the fruit
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. lean — to bend
  6. stem — to come from
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. file — a line of people
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wax — to grow
  18. file — a document
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. drill — army training
  23. lean — thin
  24. lash — an eyelash

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