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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: trunk · rush · sharp · fall · spell · season · net · file

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. fall — the season
  6. file — a tool
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. net — after costs
  10. spell — a short time
  11. file — a document
  12. sharp — clever
  13. spell — letters
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. file — a line of people
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. net — for catching
  20. spell — magic
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. season — of the year
  23. net — in sport
  24. trunk — of an elephant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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