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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: file · row · lash · rush · wake · mouse · dip · saw

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. saw — the tool
  11. file — a tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rush — hurry
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. wake — a trail
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. file — a document
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. row — to paddle
  22. dip — to sink
  23. row — a line
  24. file — a line of people

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