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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. file — a line of people
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. stem — to come from
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. file — a tool
  9. present — a gift
  10. chip — to eat
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. chip — for betting
  14. snap — to click
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. present — there
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. present — the time now

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