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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 124 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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a tool
  4. club — for golf
  5. season — in sport
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bore — to drill
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. club — for dancing
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to tire
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mine — for digging
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. file — a line of people

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