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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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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: file · staff · trunk · shower · rest · leaves · foot · mark

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rest — what's left
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a document
  6. rest — what's left
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mark — a trace
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. staff — employees
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rest — a break
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. staff — employees
  18. shower — to wash
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. shower — rain
  21. file — a tool
  22. foot — a measure
  23. mark — a grade
  24. foot — part of the body

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