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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. shower — to wash
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rule — a law
  12. file — a tool
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. wind — moving air
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. shower — rain
  17. foot — a measure
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wake — a trail
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. file — a document
  24. rule — government

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