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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: stand · last · rock · fork · sharp · file · wax · lash

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. file — a tool
  7. rock — music
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. last — finally
  14. stand — to bear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rock — a stone
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. sharp — clever
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. file — a document
  21. last — to go on
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. fork — in a road

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