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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: lie · rest · file · spring · foot · coach · cabinet · snap

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. spring — a coil
  10. rest — a break
  11. file — a document
  12. spring — of water
  13. file — a tool
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to click
  16. rest — what's left
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. rest — what's left
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. spring — the season
  23. lie — to recline
  24. coach — a trainer

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