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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · clip · file · lean · present · club · roll · nail

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. file — a line of people
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. clip — a video
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. file — a document
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. clip — for paper
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. roll — a cake
  12. club — for golf
  13. lean — thin
  14. present — a gift
  15. file — a tool
  16. club — a group
  17. present — there
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. clip — to cut
  22. lean — to bend
  23. club — for dancing
  24. roll — a list

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