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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · file · can · squash · field · lash · fall · rock

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. ground — a position
  7. field — a subject
  8. rock — music
  9. squash — to crush
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rock — a stone
  12. ground — the earth
  13. can — a tin
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. ground — crushed
  17. squash — the sport
  18. file — a tool
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. file — a document
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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