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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
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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: land · hide · rest · game · wake · file · mug · trunk

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. file — a tool
  3. mug — to rob
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. rest — what's left
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mug — a cup
  9. wake — a trail
  10. rest — a break
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. land — a country
  14. game — a match
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mug — a face
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. land — ground
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. land — to come down
  24. file — a document

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