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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. ground — crushed
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bat — the animal
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ground — the earth
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bank — for money
  14. file — a document
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bank — for money
  17. kid — child
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bank — of a river
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. ground — a position

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