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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 120 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. perch — the fish
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a tool
  7. bound — tied together
  8. stem — to come from
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. spring — the season
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. spring — of water
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bound — certain
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. perch — for a bird

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