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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.

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: spring · trunk · file · hide · wave · field · firm · wound

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. firm — steady
  5. firm — decided
  6. file — a tool
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wound — an injury
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. file — a document
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. field — farmland
  14. wound — an injury
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. spring — the season
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. spring — a coil
  21. field — for sport
  22. spring — of water
  23. firm — a company
  24. field — a subject

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