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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: trunk · mark · firm · file · mine · pop · hide · wind

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wind — moving air
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mark — a grade
  6. file — a tool
  7. pop — music
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. file — a document
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. firm — decided
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. pop — soda
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wind — moving air
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pop — to visit
  23. file — a line of people
  24. firm — steady

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