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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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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: snap · can · row · clip · file · cell · lean · rest

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. row — to paddle
  3. clip — a video
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. lean — to bend
  6. file — a document
  7. snap — to click
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. rest — a break
  10. row — a line
  11. file — a tool
  12. lean — thin
  13. file — a line of people
  14. can — to be able to
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. can — a tin
  17. clip — for paper
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cell — a phone
  23. clip — to cut
  24. lean — to rest against

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