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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 120 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 · arm · tube · saw · firm · season · swing · trunk

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. swing — in golf
  4. season — in sport
  5. tube — the underground
  6. firm — steady
  7. file — a document
  8. firm — a company
  9. swing — to play on
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. swing — music
  15. firm — decided
  16. file — a tool
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. tube — a container
  19. season — of the year
  20. saw — the tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. saw — the tool

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