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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. charge — electricity
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. file — a line of people
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. march — the month
  7. file — a tool
  8. fine — all right
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. file — a document
  13. band — a ring
  14. march — music
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. charge — a price
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. charge — in control
  20. band — a music group
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. march — the month
  23. fine — high quality
  24. bark — of a tree

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