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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: rash · roll · cell · file · stem · leaves · stick · coach

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. cell — a phone
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. file — a document
  5. roll — a cake
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cell — in biology
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. file — a tool
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. file — a line of people
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a list
  24. leaves — to go away

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