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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: cabinet · charge · fan · date · prune · file · lash · bat

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. charge — a price
  8. file — a document
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. file — a tool
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — electricity
  17. bat — the animal
  18. file — a line of people
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. fan — a supporter

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