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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. file — a tool
  4. bank — of a river
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bank — for money
  7. suit — clothes
  8. lean — thin
  9. file — a document
  10. suit — in cards
  11. bat — the animal
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. suit — to fit
  16. pitch — completely
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. lean — to bend
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bank — for money
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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