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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: file · present · tube · sharp · trunk · field · land · hide

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. present — a gift
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. file — a tool
  7. sharp — clever
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. file — a document
  10. tube — the underground
  11. present — there
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. field — for sport
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. land — a country
  20. present — the time now
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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