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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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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 · lash · bay · trunk · bound · pound · fall · sharp

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bound — obliged
  4. file — a tool
  5. bound — certain
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bound — tied together
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. file — a document
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pound — a weight
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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