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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: lash · file · nail · hide · stem · spell · bound · pitcher

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spell — letters
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bound — tied together
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bound — certain
  12. file — a tool
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stem — to come from
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bound — obliged
  19. spell — magic
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spell — a short time
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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