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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: trunk · bark · file · rest · cap · ball · arm · spring

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bark — to shout
  3. file — a document
  4. spring — a coil
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. file — a tool
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. cap — a hat
  14. rest — what's left
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. file — a line of people
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. cap — a lid
  19. spring — of water
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. spring — the season
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cap — of ice

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