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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: fan · straw · row · mug · file · field · dip · trunk

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. mug — a face
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. row — a line
  5. mug — to rob
  6. dip — to sink
  7. file — a line of people
  8. field — for sport
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. field — a subject
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. file — a tool
  15. field — farmland
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. mug — a cup
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. fan — a supporter

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