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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 116 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lean — to bend
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. can — to be able to
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rush — hurry
  13. lean — thin
  14. file — a document
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. can — a tin
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. can — a tin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. cell — a phone

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