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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. club — a group
  3. firm — steady
  4. club — for golf
  5. file — a document
  6. firm — a company
  7. kid — to tease
  8. club — for dancing
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. row — to paddle
  11. file — a line of people
  12. firm — decided
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — thin
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. row — a line
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. kid — child
  20. file — a tool
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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