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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 120 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: spell · key · wound · lean · stand · rush · mate · file

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. lean — thin
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. spell — letters
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. key — the most important part
  8. lean — to bend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. wound — an injury
  11. key — for a lock
  12. mate — to breed
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stand — to bear
  17. file — a document
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. rush — hurry
  20. spell — magic
  21. mate — a friend
  22. key — in music
  23. file — a tool
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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