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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 · shower · craft · perch · clip · pit · file · ruler

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. shower — to wash
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. craft — a skill
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. pit — a hole
  7. craft — boats
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. shower — rain
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. file — a tool
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. file — a line of people
  21. clip — a video
  22. pit — in a race
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. file — a document

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