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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: bore · cabinet · march · wake · mate · file · lash · tube

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. march — the month
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bore — to drill
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. tube — a container
  9. mate — to breed
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. tube — the underground
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mate — a friend
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bore — to tire
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. wake — a trail
  24. file — a line of people

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