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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. file — a line of people
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bear — the animal
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. file — a document
  11. tube — the underground
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. tube — a container
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. branch — a division
  20. sharp — clever
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. file — a tool
  24. bear — the animal

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