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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: last · file · hide · stock · bulb · land · trunk · sharp

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. land — a country
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. sharp — clever
  6. last — final
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. file — a line of people
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. file — a document
  12. last — to go on
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. last — finally
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stock — shares
  19. file — a tool
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. stock — goods
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. sharp — exactly

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