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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: wax · ground · lash · saw · date · file · rock · plane

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — music
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. ground — crushed
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ground — a position
  14. file — a tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. ground — the earth
  17. date — the fruit
  18. rock — a stone
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. file — a document

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