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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: mate · cabinet · file · tube · track · club · leaves · prune

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. tube — the underground
  3. mate — to breed
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mate — a friend
  6. club — for dancing
  7. track — a path
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. file — a document
  11. prune — to trim
  12. club — a group
  13. tube — a container
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. track — to keep track
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a tool
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. track — a song
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. club — for golf

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