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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. file — a tool
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. file — a document
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bore — to tire
  14. band — a ring
  15. file — a line of people
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. fork — in a road
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. rush — hurry
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bore — to drill
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. band — a music group

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