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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.

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: bowl · tube · file · stem · lash · spell · face · field

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. file — a document
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. spell — magic
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. face — to point toward
  8. file — a tool
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. field — farmland
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. file — a line of people
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. face — part of the head
  17. stem — to come from
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. field — for sport
  20. face — to confront
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. field — a subject
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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