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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: leaves · file · rule · straw · wake · arm · track · tube

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. track — a song
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. file — a document
  8. tube — the underground
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. track — to keep track
  11. rule — a law
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. track — a path
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. rule — government
  23. file — a tool
  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