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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bore — to tire
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. court — of law
  6. spring — a coil
  7. court — of a king
  8. spring — the season
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. court — for sport
  11. rule — a law
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — the arms race
  14. file — a tool
  15. bore — to drill
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rule — government
  19. file — a line of people
  20. wake — a trail
  21. race — a contest
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. spring — of water

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