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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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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: craft · lash · land · fine · snap · roll · bear · file

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. bear — the animal
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — a list
  12. bear — the animal
  13. file — a document
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. land — a country
  16. craft — boats
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. snap — to click
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. file — a tool
  22. land — ground
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. file — a line of people

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