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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: file · tear · present · leaves · roll · date · pop · staff

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. staff — a stick
  7. roll — a cake
  8. file — a document
  9. roll — a list
  10. pop — soda
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. staff — employees
  13. present — there
  14. tear — from crying
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. file — a tool
  17. staff — employees
  18. present — the time now
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. present — a gift
  23. file — a line of people
  24. tear — to rip

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