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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: lean · fine · straw · spell · present · foot · file · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lean — thin
  3. present — a gift
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. fine — high quality
  8. foot — a measure
  9. spell — a short time
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. tube — the underground
  12. present — there
  13. lean — to bend
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. present — the time now
  16. file — a tool
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. file — a line of people
  19. spell — letters
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. spell — magic
  23. file — a document
  24. fine — all right

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