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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: mine · rash · lean · firm · season · file · board · wound

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. firm — a company
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wound — an injury
  8. file — a line of people
  9. firm — steady
  10. lean — thin
  11. board — a committee
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. file — a document
  15. lean — to bend
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rash — a series
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. season — of the year
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. firm — decided
  22. board — to get on
  23. mine — for digging
  24. season — in sport

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