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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. file — a document
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bass — the fish
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. row — to paddle
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cap — a lid
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bound — obliged
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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