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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: rush · rock · wake · jam · coach · lean · mate · file

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. lean — to bend
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. file — a tool
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. mate — a friend
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. lean — thin
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rush — hurry
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — a trail
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. jam — a tight spot

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