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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: lash · file · fork · snap · cell · spring · prune · dip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. file — a line of people
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. file — a tool
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. prune — to trim
  9. spring — the season
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. cell — a phone
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. prune — to trim
  15. snap — to click
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. cell — in biology
  18. spring — of water
  19. fork — in a road
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. spring — a coil
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. file — a document

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