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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: nail · trunk · rush · file · leaves · kid · spell · wave

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. file — a line of people
  9. spell — letters
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. spell — magic
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. file — a document
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. kid — to tease
  23. spell — a short time
  24. kid — child

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