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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 116 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. fall — the season
  3. can — a tin
  4. fall — to drop
  5. can — a tin
  6. spring — the season
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. spring — of water
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a tool
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. board — a committee
  16. mine — for digging
  17. board — to get on
  18. fall — to drop
  19. file — a document
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. spring — a coil
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. mine — belonging to me

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