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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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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: lean · last · file · arm · foot · club · wound · fork

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. last — final
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. file — a tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wound — an injury
  7. club — for dancing
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. last — finally
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. club — for golf
  16. last — to go on
  17. foot — a measure
  18. file — a document
  19. club — a group
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. lean — thin
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. file — a line of people
  24. lean — to bend

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