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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · wake · kick · bound · lie · lash · patient · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wake — a trail
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. file — a tool
  12. bound — tied together
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. kick — in football
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bound — certain
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. lie — to recline
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. file — a document

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