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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · trunk · fall · date · dip · rash · swing · land

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. file — a tool
  3. land — a country
  4. swing — in golf
  5. dip — to sink
  6. fall — the season
  7. swing — to play on
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rash — a series
  12. land — ground
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rash — hasty
  19. land — to come down
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. swing — music
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. fall — to drop

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