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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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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 · bore · file · lash · dip · foot · tear · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tear — to rip
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. file — a document
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bore — to drill
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bore — to tire
  20. file — a tool
  21. foot — a measure
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tube — a container
  24. lash — an eyelash

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