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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: lash · file · nail · lie · drill · bound · ground · rash

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. drill — a practice
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bound — tied together
  8. ground — crushed
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bound — obliged
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. rash — a series
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. file — a tool
  17. lie — to recline
  18. rash — hasty
  19. file — a line of people
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bound — certain
  22. drill — army training
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — a position

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