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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · row · tube · plane · wax · key · fan · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. wax — to grow
  6. tube — a container
  7. key — for a lock
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. row — a line
  10. file — a document
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. key — the most important part
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. plane — a tool
  18. tube — the underground
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. key — in music
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. row — to paddle

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