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

Word bank: fork · staff · lash · rule · ball · wave · bank · file

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. rule — a law
  3. bank — for money
  4. file — a document
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bank — of a river
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. rule — government
  10. staff — employees
  11. bank — for money
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a great time
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. staff — employees
  18. fork — in a road
  19. file — a tool
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. staff — a stick
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fork — a garden 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