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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.

Make a worksheet

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: stock · rest · trunk · plane · leaves · cold · file · staff

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. file — a tool
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. cold — not warm
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. file — a document
  13. stock — shares
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. stock — goods
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. rest — what's left
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. staff — employees
  23. file — a line of people
  24. cold — an illness

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