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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stick · file · degree · leaves · object · wake · lean · squash

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. file — a line of people
  3. wake — a trail
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. degree — temperature
  8. file — a tool
  9. lean — thin
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. file — a document
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. squash — to crush
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. degree — an amount
  17. object — a thing
  18. lean — to bend
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. object — to protest
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. squash — the sport
  23. degree — from a university
  24. object — an aim

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