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

Word bank: cell · lash · fork · saw · fall · racket · file · stock

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. fall — the season
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. fall — to drop
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a document
  11. cell — a phone
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. fork — in a road
  14. saw — the tool
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cell — in biology
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. stock — goods
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. file — a tool
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. stock — shares
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. saw — the tool

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