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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: file · mine · lean · pound · swing · fall · kick · bay

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. lean — to bend
  4. swing — to play on
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. lean — thin
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. kick — in football
  11. pound — a weight
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. file — a document
  19. fall — to drop
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — in golf
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. mine — for digging

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