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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: march · rock · wake · bear · club · fan · cabinet · file

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. rock — music
  3. march — the month
  4. wake — a trail
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. file — a tool
  8. rock — a stone
  9. file — a document
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. march — music
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. file — a line of people
  16. club — a group
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bear — the animal
  20. march — the month
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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