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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: bat · file · saw · lean · root · wind · wax · charge

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. charge — a price
  4. root — the cause
  5. lean — to bend
  6. wax — to grow
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. charge — electricity
  10. saw — the tool
  11. file — a document
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. charge — in control
  14. root — of a word
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wind — moving air
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bat — the animal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. root — of a plant

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