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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: saw · file · wind · rule · chair · calf · band · leaves

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. file — a tool
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rule — government
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. band — a music group
  14. file — a line of people
  15. band — a ring
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. chair — a leader
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. saw — the tool
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. rule — a law
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. wind — moving air

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