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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: snap · last · file · ground · trunk · wind · rush · saw

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a line of people
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wind — moving air
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. last — to go on
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. saw — the tool
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. file — a tool
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. last — finally
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. last — final

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