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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 116 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: key · perch · lean · degree · lash · wax · field · file

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a document
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. degree — temperature
  9. lean — to bend
  10. field — for sport
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. perch — the fish
  13. degree — an amount
  14. key — in music
  15. degree — from a university
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lean — thin
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. key — the most important part
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. wax — to grow
  22. field — farmland
  23. key — for a lock
  24. file — a line of people

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