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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. spring — the season
  6. firm — a company
  7. can — a tin
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. spring — of water
  11. file — a line of people
  12. season — in sport
  13. firm — steady
  14. can — to be able to
  15. firm — decided
  16. land — ground
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. land — to come down
  20. can — a tin
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. land — a country
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. file — a document

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