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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. file — a document
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. plane — a tool
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. file — a line of people
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. squash — to crush
  17. file — a tool
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. kick — in football
  23. spring — of water
  24. squash — the sport

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