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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
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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: file · board · cell · spring · last · leaves · march · rule

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. march — the month
  3. board — to get on
  4. march — the month
  5. rule — a law
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. spring — of water
  9. last — finally
  10. rule — government
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. last — to go on
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. spring — the season
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. last — final
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in biology
  20. spring — a coil
  21. board — a committee
  22. march — music
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — of a tree

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