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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 120 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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. march — the month
  3. bulb — for light
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. file — a line of people
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. swing — to play on
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. march — music
  15. swing — music
  16. tear — from crying
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. swing — in golf
  19. file — a tool
  20. bulb — for light
  21. march — the month
  22. drill — a practice
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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