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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 · rush · wound · ground · fall · lean · lie · chair

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. file — a tool
  5. wound — an injury
  6. file — a line of people
  7. ground — a position
  8. lean — to bend
  9. ground — crushed
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. lie — to recline
  12. chair — a leader
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rush — hurry
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ground — the earth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lean — thin
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. fall — the season
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. fall — to drop
  24. file — a document

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