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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: lean · file · root · mate · hand · chest · net · drill

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. hand — in cards
  3. file — a line of people
  4. root — the cause
  5. drill — the tool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. net — after costs
  8. chest — a box
  9. lean — thin
  10. net — for catching
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — of a word
  14. file — a tool
  15. mate — a partner
  16. hand — help
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mate — to breed
  19. chest — of your body
  20. net — in sport
  21. file — a document
  22. mate — a friend
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. drill — army training

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