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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: cell · chip · saw · row · trunk · lean · mate · file

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. chip — for betting
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mate — a partner
  6. cell — a phone
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cell — in biology
  10. row — to paddle
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. file — a tool
  13. mate — to breed
  14. lean — thin
  15. mate — a friend
  16. chip — to eat
  17. file — a line of people
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. file — a document
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. row — a line
  23. saw — the tool
  24. trunk — of a car

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