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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: craft · toast · bass · trunk · file · cap · spring · prune

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. spring — of water
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. cap — a hat
  7. file — a document
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. craft — boats
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. spring — the season
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — low music
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. cap — of ice
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spring — a coil
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cap — a lid
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. file — a line of people

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