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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: file · root · mark · tube · rest · fine · trunk · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. fine — all right
  3. root — of a plant
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — a grade
  8. fine — high quality
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rest — what's left
  14. tube — a container
  15. root — of a word
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. root — the cause
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. tube — the underground
  24. trunk — of a tree

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