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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: sharp · mug · plane · fall · trunk · spring · file · key

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. fall — to drop
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. mug — a cup
  5. fall — to drop
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. fall — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mug — a face
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. key — in music
  12. spring — the season
  13. file — a line of people
  14. key — the most important part
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. file — a document
  20. key — for a lock
  21. sharp — clever
  22. mug — to rob
  23. file — a tool
  24. plane — a 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