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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. perch — the fish
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. ball — a dance
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mark — a trace
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mark — a grade
  17. clip — for paper
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. ball — a great time

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