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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · pop · perch · file · leaves · straw · nail · rule

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. rule — a law
  4. file — a tool
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. perch — the fish
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. pop — to visit
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pop — music
  15. hand — help
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pop — soda
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. rule — government
  24. hand — in cards

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