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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: cell · field · kid · mouse · board · saw · lean · file

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cell — a phone
  3. kid — child
  4. cell — in biology
  5. file — a line of people
  6. lean — to bend
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. board — to get on
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. file — a tool
  11. field — for sport
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. kid — to tease
  14. board — a committee
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. saw — the tool
  17. field — farmland
  18. lean — thin
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. field — a subject
  22. file — a document
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. saw — the 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