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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: board · bay · file · row · wax · ball · lash · fork

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. row — a line
  13. ball — a dance
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. wax — to grow
  17. file — a document
  18. board — to get on
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. row — to paddle
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — in a road
  24. lash — an eyelash

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