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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 120 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: rash · trunk · file · drill · firm · spring · key · capital

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. spring — of water
  3. key — for a lock
  4. firm — a company
  5. rash — a series
  6. key — in music
  7. spring — a coil
  8. file — a line of people
  9. capital — money
  10. drill — the tool
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. drill — army training
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. rash — hasty
  15. spring — the season
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. file — a document
  18. firm — decided
  19. file — a tool
  20. key — the most important part
  21. capital — a city
  22. drill — a practice
  23. firm — steady
  24. rash — on the skin

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