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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.

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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: file · coach · mine · squash · last · wound · fine · lie

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. fine — high quality
  3. file — a document
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. last — finally
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. squash — to crush
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. squash — the sport
  17. last — to go on
  18. fine — all right
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. mine — for digging
  21. wound — an injury
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. last — final
  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