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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a document
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — of a river
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. last — finally
  9. net — for catching
  10. mark — a trace
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. file — a line of people
  13. last — to go on
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — in sport
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. last — final
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bank — for money
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mark — a grade

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