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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: date · straw · rest · file · lean · tube · content · stand

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. tube — a container
  3. file — a document
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. lean — to bend
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rest — what's left
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. tube — the underground
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. content — happy
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. stand — to bear
  21. lean — thin
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. content — the amount
  24. file — a tool

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