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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 · content · root · mug · cell · shower · swing · trunk

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. content — happy
  8. cell — in biology
  9. shower — rain
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mug — to rob
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — in golf
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. root — the cause
  17. mug — a face
  18. content — the amount
  19. root — of a word
  20. shower — to wash
  21. root — of a plant
  22. mug — a cup
  23. file — a tool
  24. swing — music

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