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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bass — low music
  3. craft — a skill
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rock — music
  9. drill — a practice
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. tube — a container
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bass — the fish
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. file — a document
  19. drill — army training
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — a stone
  24. craft — boats

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