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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 116 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: degree · mouse · file · hand · fall · stick · plane · lash

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. file — a line of people
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. degree — an amount
  5. file — a document
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. fall — to drop
  8. plane — a tool
  9. degree — temperature
  10. fall — to drop
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. degree — from a university
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. fall — the season
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. file — a tool
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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