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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: net · row · firm · perch · season · mine · file · lean

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. lean — to bend
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. firm — decided
  6. season — in sport
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. row — a line
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. net — for catching
  12. firm — steady
  13. season — of the year
  14. net — in sport
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. row — to paddle
  17. lean — thin
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. file — a line of people
  21. perch — the fish
  22. file — a document
  23. net — after costs
  24. firm — a company

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