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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. saw — the tool
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. band — a ring
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a tool
  9. band — a music group
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. board — to get on
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. ground — the earth
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. ground — crushed
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. board — a committee
  22. file — a document
  23. ground — a position
  24. band — a rubber band

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