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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: saw · leaves · present · fine · pop · bulb · file · lean

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. pop — music
  5. present — a gift
  6. fine — all right
  7. file — a line of people
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. pop — to visit
  10. file — a document
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. pop — soda
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. lean — to bend
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. lean — thin
  17. bulb — for light
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. fine — high quality
  21. present — there
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bulb — for light
  24. present — the time now

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