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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: file · leaves · band · rash · bore · march · roll · cell

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. march — the month
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. band — a ring
  6. rash — a series
  7. bore — to tire
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. file — a line of people
  10. band — a music group
  11. roll — a list
  12. march — music
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. march — the month
  16. file — a tool
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bore — to drill
  24. file — a document

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