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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: lash · band · plane · clip · key · sharp · mine · wax

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. key — in music
  4. clip — to cut
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. band — a ring
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. band — a music group
  13. wax — to grow
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mine — for digging
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — for paper
  21. sharp — clever
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. key — the most important part
  24. mine — an explosive

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