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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 120 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a tool
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. tear — from crying
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. season — in sport
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. tear — to rip
  16. season — of the year
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bear — the animal
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. tear — from crying
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fork — in a road

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