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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: file · straw · bound · row · rest · season · spell · can

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  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. file — a line of people
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. spell — magic
  5. can — a tin
  6. rest — what's left
  7. season — in sport
  8. bound — tied together
  9. row — a line
  10. rest — what's left
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. spell — a short time
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. can — a tin
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. file — a tool
  18. can — to be able to
  19. spell — letters
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. row — to paddle
  23. rest — a break
  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