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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.

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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. file — a document
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. mug — a cup
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. race — humankind
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. mug — to rob
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bulb — for light
  18. lean — thin
  19. bulb — for light
  20. race — the arms race
  21. file — a line of people
  22. race — a contest
  23. file — a tool
  24. mug — a face

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