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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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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: firm · fall · lean · kid · foot · nail · bore · file

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — steady
  3. lean — to bend
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. file — a tool
  6. fall — to drop
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bore — to drill
  12. file — a line of people
  13. foot — a measure
  14. fall — the season
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. kid — child
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. firm — a company
  22. lean — thin
  23. file — a document
  24. fall — to drop

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