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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wind — moving air
  5. file — a document
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. can — to be able to
  9. march — the month
  10. can — a tin
  11. wind — moving air
  12. hand — in cards
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. can — a tin
  16. march — the month
  17. file — a tool
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. hand — help
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. march — music
  24. file — a line of people

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