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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: squash · bore · sharp · lash · date · bark · file · saw

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. saw — the tool
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. saw — the tool
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. squash — the sport
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bark — to shout
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. squash — to crush
  21. file — a document
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. file — a tool

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