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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · straw · arm · wake · file · rock · cue · field

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. can — a tin
  10. field — for sport
  11. file — a tool
  12. wake — a trail
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — music
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. can — to be able to
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. file — a document
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. can — a tin
  24. cue — a hint

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