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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.

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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: file · saw · cell · spell · pop · rush · lash · track

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. spell — letters
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pop — soda
  6. cell — in biology
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. pop — music
  9. file — a line of people
  10. spell — magic
  11. track — to keep track
  12. file — a document
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. track — a song
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. pop — to visit
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. track — a path

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