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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  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. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. object — to protest
  4. mate — a partner
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. rock — music
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. mate — a friend
  13. band — a ring
  14. object — an aim
  15. file — a document
  16. object — a thing
  17. file — a tool
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. mate — to breed
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. band — a music group
  22. rock — a stone
  23. chair — a leader
  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