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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 · fall · straw · club · squash · fine · file · temple

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. file — a tool
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. fall — to drop
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. file — a line of people
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fall — the season
  12. club — a group
  13. fine — all right
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. file — a document
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fine — high quality
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. club — for dancing
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. squash — the sport

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