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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. can — a tin
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mug — a face
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. can — a tin
  10. file — a tool
  11. mug — to rob
  12. can — to be able to
  13. roll — a list
  14. wound — an injury
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. roll — a cake
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mug — a cup
  21. row — a line
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a document

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