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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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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 · cabinet · patient · chest · firm · date · straw

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. chest — of your body
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. lean — thin
  6. chest — of your body
  7. firm — decided
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. date — the fruit
  18. file — a tool
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. chest — a box
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. firm — steady
  24. cabinet — ministers

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