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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: can · foot · file · rush · land · season · pit · wake

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. land — to come down
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. season — of the year
  6. pit — in a race
  7. can — to be able to
  8. file — a document
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rush — hurry
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. season — in sport
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pit — a hole
  16. can — a tin
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. can — a tin
  20. land — a country
  21. file — a tool
  22. land — ground
  23. file — a line of people
  24. rush — a thrill

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