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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. chest — of your body
  4. file — a document
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — the tool
  8. swing — to play on
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. fork — in a road
  11. swing — in golf
  12. file — a line of people
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. tube — the underground
  19. chest — a box
  20. swing — music
  21. tube — a container
  22. lean — thin
  23. drill — army training
  24. leaves — lets stay

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