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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. can — a tin
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. ground — the earth
  6. rash — a series
  7. file — a tool
  8. spring — the season
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bass — the fish
  13. ground — crushed
  14. can — a tin
  15. file — a line of people
  16. ground — a position
  17. bass — low music
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. can — to be able to
  22. spring — of water
  23. file — a document
  24. spring — a coil

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