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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: coach · march · fan · file · wound · stick · object · rule

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. object — a thing
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a tool
  5. march — the month
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. march — the month
  9. object — an aim
  10. rule — government
  11. object — to protest
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. march — music
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. file — a line of people
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rule — a law

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