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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.

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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: trunk · track · rush · content · ruler · mine · field · file

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. file — a tool
  4. field — a subject
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. content — the amount
  8. file — a document
  9. track — a song
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. file — a line of people
  12. content — happy
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. mine — for digging
  15. field — for sport
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. field — farmland
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. mine — belonging to me

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