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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 · roll · last · wake · season · lean · deal · date

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. file — a tool
  3. roll — a cake
  4. last — finally
  5. file — a document
  6. season — in sport
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. lean — thin
  12. last — to go on
  13. lean — to bend
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. roll — a list
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. deal — to handle
  19. date — the fruit
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. wake — a trail
  24. last — final

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