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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: hand · ball · stem · snap · track · fine · file · lean

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. track — to keep track
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. file — a line of people
  6. hand — in cards
  7. track — a path
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. lean — thin
  11. track — a song
  12. stem — to come from
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. fine — all right
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. ball — a dance
  19. file — a tool
  20. fine — high quality
  21. hand — help
  22. lean — to bend
  23. file — a document
  24. snap — to click

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