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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: file · mug · kid · trunk · board · perch · row · plane

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. mug — a cup
  4. file — a tool
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mug — a face
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. board — to get on
  11. plane — a tool
  12. board — a committee
  13. perch — the fish
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. file — a document
  17. row — a line
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. kid — to tease
  21. file — a line of people
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. kid — child
  24. perch — for a bird

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