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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: lean · root · racket · mine · straw · hide · jam · file

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. lean — thin
  4. file — a tool
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. root — the cause
  9. file — a line of people
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. root — of a plant
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. file — a document
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mine — for digging
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. root — of a word

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