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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 116 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: leaves · nail · trunk · pound · track · kid · firm · file

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. firm — steady
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. file — a tool
  7. pound — a weight
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. kid — child
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. track — to keep track
  14. file — a line of people
  15. firm — a company
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. firm — decided
  18. file — a document
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. kid — to tease
  21. track — a path
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. track — a song
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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