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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. rock — a stone
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rock — music
  6. net — after costs
  7. file — a tool
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. file — a document
  11. clip — a video
  12. lie — to recline
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. clip — for paper
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. row — a line
  21. net — for catching
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. net — in sport
  24. rock — to move gently

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