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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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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: bound · craft · file · roll · fine · net · lash · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fine — high quality
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bound — certain
  5. file — a line of people
  6. net — for catching
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. craft — boats
  9. roll — a list
  10. net — in sport
  11. bound — tied together
  12. file — a document
  13. craft — a skill
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. file — a tool
  23. bound — obliged
  24. net — after costs

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