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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. mug — a cup
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. file — a tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. content — happy
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. content — the amount
  11. mug — a face
  12. land — ground
  13. file — a document
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mug — to rob
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bank — for money
  18. land — to come down
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. land — a country
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — of a river

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