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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: row · pound · file · cabinet · dip · toast · wake · wound

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. file — a tool
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. row — a line
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. row — to paddle
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. toast — bread
  24. pound — a weight

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