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

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. cell — a phone
  3. file — a tool
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bank — for money
  6. file — a document
  7. bank — for money
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. can — to be able to
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bank — of a river
  12. cell — in biology
  13. clip — to cut
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stand — to bear
  16. lean — thin
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. can — a tin
  19. clip — a video
  20. file — a line of people
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. can — a tin
  24. clip — for paper

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