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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: fan · wax · lean · rush · current · wound · file · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. current — electric
  4. file — a line of people
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. current — happening now
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hand — help
  9. rush — hurry
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. current — of water
  12. hand — in cards
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wax — to grow
  16. file — a document
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. lean — thin
  20. file — a tool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. wax — in the ear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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