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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 120 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. object — a thing
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. plane — a tool
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lean — thin
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lean — to bend
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. file — a tool
  16. rash — hasty
  17. object — an aim
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rash — a series
  22. clip — to cut
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. object — to protest

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