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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: land · sharp · file · lean · saw · cabinet · last · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. land — to come down
  4. saw — the tool
  5. land — ground
  6. lean — thin
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. rock — a stone
  11. file — a line of people
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. land — a country
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. lean — to bend
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. last — to go on
  19. saw — the tool
  20. last — finally
  21. rock — music
  22. last — final
  23. sharp — clever
  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