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

Word bank: stand · race · deal · lean · cell · straw · can · file

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. can — to be able to
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to bend
  4. race — humankind
  5. file — a tool
  6. deal — to handle
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. race — a contest
  9. file — a line of people
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. cell — in biology
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — to bear
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. can — a tin
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. race — the arms race
  22. can — a tin
  23. cell — a phone
  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