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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bulb — for light
  5. sharp — clever
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — obliged
  9. club — for dancing
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bulb — for light
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. spring — of water
  17. club — for golf
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bound — tied together
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. club — a group

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