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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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 · wind · leaves · sharp · file · clip · saw · lash

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. wind — moving air
  3. saw — the tool
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. wax — to grow
  8. file — a document
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wind — moving air
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. clip — to cut
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. clip — a video
  22. saw — the tool
  23. file — a tool
  24. lash — to lash out

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