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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. fall — to drop
  3. band — a music group
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. file — a tool
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. march — the month
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rule — government
  12. file — a document
  13. suit — clothes
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. suit — in cards
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. suit — to fit
  20. fall — the season
  21. band — a ring
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. file — a line of people
  24. rule — a law

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