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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: file · cabinet · club · stand · leaves · field · dip · pitcher

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. dip — to sink
  3. file — a line of people
  4. field — for sport
  5. file — a tool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. club — for golf
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. file — a document
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. field — a subject
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — to bear
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. field — farmland
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for dancing

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