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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. rock — music
  3. staff — a stick
  4. band — a ring
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. club — for golf
  7. file — a tool
  8. staff — employees
  9. cap — a hat
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. cap — a lid
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. file — a document
  15. cap — of ice
  16. club — a group
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. club — for dancing
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. band — a music group
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. staff — employees
  24. rock — a stone

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