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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 120 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: ground · perch · file · nail · cell · racket · bore · lash

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bore — to tire
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. cell — in biology
  9. ground — the earth
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. ground — crushed
  12. file — a document
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. cell — a phone
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bore — to drill
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. ground — a position
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. file — a tool
  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