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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. file — a line of people
  2. file — a document
  3. field — for sport
  4. net — in sport
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. mine — for digging
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. net — for catching
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. saw — the tool
  17. file — a tool
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. saw — the tool
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. net — after costs
  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