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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: wound · file · leaves · degree · calf · cabinet · saw · club

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. file — a document
  3. degree — from a university
  4. file — a line of people
  5. club — a group
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. club — for golf
  10. degree — temperature
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. file — a tool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wound — an injury
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. club — for dancing
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. saw — the tool

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