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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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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: bark · squash · file · last · lie · sharp · stick · fall

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. file — a line of people
  3. sharp — clever
  4. file — a document
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. last — to go on
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. fall — to drop
  10. squash — the sport
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. file — a tool
  13. bark — to shout
  14. last — final
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. fall — to drop
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. last — finally
  22. squash — to crush
  23. fall — the season
  24. bark — of a tree

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