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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: file · club · fan · rush · stem · mine · trunk · ruler

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. file — a line of people
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. rush — hurry
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. file — a tool
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. stem — to come from
  10. club — for golf
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. club — a group
  15. mine — for digging
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. file — a document
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. rush — a thrill

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