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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: lie · jam · leaves · file · hand · stem · lean · land

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. land — to come down
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. file — a tool
  5. stem — to come from
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. hand — help
  11. land — a country
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. lean — thin
  14. file — a document
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. land — ground
  19. lie — to recline
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. file — a line of people
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. hand — in cards

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