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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: fan · dip · arm · season · lie · file · wound · lean

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. dip — to sink
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lean — to bend
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. lean — thin
  17. file — a document
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wound — an injury
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. lean — to rest against

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