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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: mine · present · rest · temple · leaves · pass · lean · file

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lean — thin
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. file — a document
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. present — the time now
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. file — a line of people
  15. lean — to bend
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. file — a tool
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rest — a break
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pass — a permit
  23. present — a gift
  24. pass — to spend time

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