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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 116 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: bore · mine · wound · file · bay · lean · pass · content

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. file — a document
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pass — a permit
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bore — to drill
  13. lean — thin
  14. content — happy
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bore — to tire
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. content — the amount
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wound — an injury

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