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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.

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: mouse · wound · bowl · date · saw · file · field · lash

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. file — a tool
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wound — an injury
  9. file — a line of people
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. file — a document
  16. field — a subject
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. field — farmland
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. field — for sport
  24. date — the fruit

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