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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · bound · hand · file · jam · bowl · tear · lash

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bound — obliged
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bound — tied together
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. file — a document
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. hand — help
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. file — a tool
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. hand — in cards
  18. tear — to rip
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — in music
  21. tear — from crying
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bound — certain

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