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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 116 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: leaves · mouse · file · shower · trunk · deal · ground · field

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. field — for sport
  3. shower — to wash
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. file — a line of people
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. file — a tool
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. shower — rain
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. ground — the earth
  18. deal — to handle
  19. file — a document
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — a position

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