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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: club · fan · lash · nail · saw · cell · tear · tube

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. club — for golf
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. tube — a container
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. tube — the underground
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cell — in biology
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. club — a group
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. club — for dancing
  24. cell — a phone

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