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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: cap · fine · file · bound · ground · lie · staff · wake

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. wake — a trail
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a lid
  6. fine — all right
  7. staff — employees
  8. ground — a position
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bound — obliged
  12. file — a document
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bound — certain
  15. ground — crushed
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. fine — high quality
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. ground — the earth
  23. file — a tool
  24. cap — a hat

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