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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: file · mate · snap · pit · hide · squash · trunk · scale

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. mate — a partner
  5. scale — size or range
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — in a race
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. file — a tool
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. scale — in music
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. snap — to click
  19. file — a line of people
  20. squash — to crush
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a friend
  24. file — a document

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