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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: pound · hand · lash · mate · club · clip · file · wax

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. hand — in cards
  3. file — a tool
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. file — a line of people
  7. clip — for paper
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. club — for dancing
  16. mate — a friend
  17. clip — a video
  18. hand — help
  19. pound — a weight
  20. club — for golf
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — to breed
  23. clip — to cut
  24. club — a group

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