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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bank — of a river
  3. kid — child
  4. bank — for money
  5. file — a tool
  6. kid — to tease
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. lean — thin
  11. bank — for money
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. lean — to bend
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. file — a line of people
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. lean — to rest against

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