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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bound — tied together
  3. file — a document
  4. wake — a trail
  5. hand — in cards
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. hand — help
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bound — certain
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. file — a line of people
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. toast — bread
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wake — before a funeral

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