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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.

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: plane · staff · rock · cabinet · mine · file · leaves · hide

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. staff — employees
  3. file — a tool
  4. mine — for digging
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. file — a document
  10. staff — employees
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. rock — a stone
  17. staff — a stick
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. file — a line of people
  23. plane — a tool
  24. leaves — lets stay

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