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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · lean · fan · mark · bound · file · tube · track

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. track — a path
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. last — finally
  6. bound — certain
  7. mark — a grade
  8. tube — a container
  9. file — a tool
  10. last — final
  11. track — a song
  12. lean — thin
  13. bound — tied together
  14. mark — a trace
  15. lean — to bend
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. last — to go on
  18. bound — obliged
  19. file — a line of people
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. file — a document
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. track — to keep track

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