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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: cold · fork · pitcher · wax · file · plane · lash · leaves

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. plane — a tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. file — a tool
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. file — a line of people
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. cold — not warm
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. wax — to grow
  20. file — a document
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cold — an illness
  24. plane — in geometry

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