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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: leaves · roll · present · last · stand · file · row · rash

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — a gift
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. last — finally
  5. roll — a list
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. file — a document
  10. row — to paddle
  11. last — final
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. last — to go on
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. file — a tool
  16. rash — hasty
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. row — a line
  19. present — there
  20. rash — a series
  21. roll — a cake
  22. file — a line of people
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — for spectators

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