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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. cue — a signal
  3. lean — thin
  4. field — a subject
  5. fall — the season
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. file — a tool
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bear — the animal
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. lean — to bend
  12. cue — a hint
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. file — a line of people
  17. band — a ring
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. fall — to drop
  24. band — a music 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