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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 120 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 · pitcher · fan · kid · straw · rush · lean · leaves

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. lean — to bend
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. rush — hurry
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. kid — child
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. file — a tool
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lean — thin
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. file — a document
  24. kid — to tease

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