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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pass · stand · straw · wound · file · mark · spell · roll

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. file — a document
  3. stand — to bear
  4. wound — an injury
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. wound — an injury
  7. spell — letters
  8. roll — a cake
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. pass — a permit
  11. file — a tool
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. spell — magic
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. file — a line of people
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. roll — a list
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. spell — a short time
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. stand — for spectators

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