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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
468
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: tear · spring · fan · cap · trunk · file · arm · charge

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. charge — in control
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cap — a hat
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cap — of ice
  10. spring — of water
  11. tear — from crying
  12. charge — a price
  13. cap — a lid
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. charge — electricity
  16. file — a document
  17. spring — the season
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. file — a line of people
  21. spring — a coil
  22. tear — from crying
  23. file — a tool
  24. trunk — of a tree

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