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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chest · tube · dip · leaves · foot · bear · sharp · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chest — a box
  6. bear — the animal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. chest — of your body
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. sharp — clever
  13. file — a line of people
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. file — a document
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. foot — a measure
  20. tube — a container
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. tube — the underground
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. tube — in a tire

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