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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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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. file — a document
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wake — a trail
  9. saw — the tool
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bear — the animal
  14. file — a line of people
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. saw — the tool
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. calf — of the leg

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