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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 116 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: pitcher · chair · hand · row · lash · wax · file · tube

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. file — a document
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. chair — a leader
  6. hand — in cards
  7. file — a tool
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. file — a line of people
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. row — to paddle
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wax — to grow
  23. tube — the underground
  24. row — a quarrel

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