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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: fine · wax · file · lash · hand · leaves · row · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. file — a document
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. fine — high quality
  11. hand — help
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. fine — all right
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. band — a ring
  16. row — to paddle
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. file — a tool
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. wax — to grow
  24. row — a line

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