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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: file · fork · bowl · lash · wind · fine · bound · rest

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. rest — a break
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. file — a document
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bound — certain
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bound — obliged
  20. file — a tool
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fine — all right
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — in a road

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