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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: roll · stick · shower · file · snap · date · mine · trunk

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. shower — to wash
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. file — a line of people
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. roll — a list
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. file — a document
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. roll — a cake
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. file — a tool
  18. shower — rain
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. mine — for digging
  23. snap — to click
  24. date — the fruit

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