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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 120 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: saw · file · pitcher · wake · plane · sharp · wax · cap

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. file — a document
  9. cap — a lid
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. file — a tool
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cap — a hat
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. saw — the tool
  19. plane — a tool
  20. cap — of ice
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wax — to grow
  24. plane — in geometry

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