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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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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: arm · cap · mark · trunk · mate · file · rush · pound

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. mate — to breed
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mate — a partner
  10. cap — a lid
  11. file — a line of people
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mate — a friend
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cap — a hat
  16. file — a tool
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — a weight
  19. file — a document
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. rush — hurry
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — a grade

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