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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. spell — a short time
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bank — for money
  6. file — a document
  7. march — the month
  8. spell — letters
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. march — music
  11. bank — of a river
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bank — for money
  15. scale — size or range
  16. file — a line of people
  17. scale — in music
  18. spell — magic
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. march — the month
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. file — a tool
  24. trunk — of a car

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