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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 116 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. lean — to bend
  7. band — a music group
  8. march — the month
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. tube — a container
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. band — a ring
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. file — a document
  20. mark — a grade
  21. rush — hurry
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. rush — a thrill

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