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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: tube · file · spring · face · lash · pound · wax · rash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. tube — the underground
  3. file — a document
  4. spring — the season
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. face — to point toward
  8. file — a tool
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — a weight
  11. face — to confront
  12. rash — hasty
  13. spring — a coil
  14. tube — a container
  15. rash — a series
  16. wax — to grow
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. spring — of water
  23. file — a line of people
  24. tube — in a tire

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