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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: fall · leaves · file · stand · nail · rush · cold · row

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — not warm
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. file — a line of people
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. rush — hurry
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. row — to paddle
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. fall — to drop
  15. file — a tool
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fall — to drop
  19. row — a line
  20. stand — to bear
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. file — a document
  24. fall — the season

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