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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 · wax · date · file · board · pound · saw · spell

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. board — to get on
  3. file — a tool
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. file — a line of people
  8. board — a committee
  9. bat — the animal
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. file — a document
  17. spell — magic
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. wax — to grow

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