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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bore — to drill
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bore — to tire
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. file — a tool
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. march — music
  15. file — a line of people
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. firm — decided
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. march — the month
  21. file — a document
  22. march — the month
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. firm — a company

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