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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: can · fall · file · plane · mine · trunk · pop · spring

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pop — music
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. file — a line of people
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. pop — soda
  9. spring — the season
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. fall — the season
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. can — a tin
  15. mine — for digging
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. file — a tool
  19. can — a tin
  20. file — a document
  21. plane — a tool
  22. pop — to visit
  23. can — to be able to
  24. fall — to drop

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