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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: file · stock · cap · pit · foot · wound · leaves · mine

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. mine — for digging
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. file — a document
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cap — of ice
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stock — shares
  13. cap — a lid
  14. stock — goods
  15. foot — a measure
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. file — a tool
  19. pit — a hole
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pit — in a race
  23. file — a line of people
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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