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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: can · stick · ground · wake · lie · jam · field · file

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. file — a tool
  4. field — farmland
  5. can — a tin
  6. ground — a position
  7. field — for sport
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. field — a subject
  10. file — a line of people
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. file — a document
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. ground — the earth
  22. can — a tin
  23. lie — to recline
  24. wake — a trail

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