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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: fork · wound · lie · lean · straw · field · file · object

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. wound — an injury
  8. field — farmland
  9. lean — to bend
  10. wound — an injury
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. fork — in a road
  13. file — a tool
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lie — to recline
  16. object — a thing
  17. field — for sport
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. field — a subject
  20. lean — thin
  21. object — an aim
  22. file — a document
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. object — to protest

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