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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: drill · craft · cabinet · lean · file · row · wake · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. file — a document
  4. craft — boats
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. lean — thin
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. craft — a skill
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. drill — the tool
  14. row — a line
  15. drill — army training
  16. swing — music
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. swing — in golf
  21. row — to paddle
  22. lean — to bend
  23. drill — a practice
  24. cabinet — ministers

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