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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 · current · nail · lash · band · file · calf · face

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. face — to confront
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. current — happening now
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. band — a ring
  8. face — part of the head
  9. current — of water
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. current — electric
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. band — a music group
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. file — a document
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. file — a tool
  19. face — to point toward
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. file — a line of people
  23. band — a rubber band
  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