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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: lash · file · tube · fork · roll · kid · stick · toast

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. lash — to lash out
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. tube — the underground
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. tube — a container
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. kid — child
  14. roll — a cake
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. roll — a list
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. toast — bread
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. fork — in a road
  23. kid — to tease
  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