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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bank — of a river
  3. file — a line of people
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. file — a tool
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bound — tied together
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bank — for money
  17. bound — certain
  18. content — happy
  19. deal — to handle
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. content — the amount
  23. bank — for money
  24. wake — a trail

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