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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. chest — a box
  3. rock — music
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. file — a document
  6. field — farmland
  7. chest — of your body
  8. field — for sport
  9. rock — a stone
  10. field — a subject
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. file — a line of people
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. chest — of your body
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. racket — for tennis

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