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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. ground — the earth
  4. spring — of water
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. spring — the season
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. ground — crushed
  11. shower — rain
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. ground — a position
  16. shower — to wash
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. file — a tool
  22. spring — a coil
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. file — a document

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