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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: file · club · lash · ruler · charge · fall · fork · tube

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. file — a line of people
  3. club — for golf
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. file — a document
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. file — a tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. tube — the underground
  11. fall — to drop
  12. club — for dancing
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fall — the season
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — electricity
  20. fall — to drop
  21. tube — a container
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. fork — in a road
  24. club — a group

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