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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 · march · stick · can · cue · mouse · root · bass

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. can — to be able to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. root — of a word
  6. cue — a signal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. march — the month
  9. cue — for pool
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. file — a document
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. bass — the fish
  15. march — music
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bass — low music
  19. march — the month
  20. file — a line of people
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. root — the cause

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