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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: stick · tear · jam · lash · file · clip · bass · drill

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. drill — army training
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bass — the fish
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bass — low music
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. drill — a practice
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. file — a document
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. clip — for paper
  22. file — a tool
  23. tear — to rip
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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