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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. file — a document
  3. season — of the year
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. present — there
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. spring — a coil
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. can — to be able to
  11. present — the time now
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — a face
  16. file — a line of people
  17. can — a tin
  18. spring — the season
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. file — a tool
  21. present — a gift
  22. mug — to rob
  23. spring — of water
  24. can — a tin

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