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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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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: cell · trunk · file · kid · staff · mate · hide · track

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. cell — a phone
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mate — a partner
  9. staff — employees
  10. track — a path
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cell — in biology
  13. track — a song
  14. staff — employees
  15. kid — to tease
  16. mate — a friend
  17. file — a document
  18. mate — to breed
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. file — a line of people
  22. track — to keep track
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. kid — child

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