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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 · bore · file · fall · stick · hide · bear · net

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. file — a document
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. net — after costs
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. net — in sport
  11. fall — to drop
  12. net — for catching
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — to drill
  21. fall — the season
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. fall — to drop
  24. file — a line of people

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