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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: trunk · spring · chip · suit · sharp · file · kick · prune

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a document
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. prune — to trim
  5. suit — in cards
  6. file — a line of people
  7. chip — for betting
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. suit — to fit
  10. kick — in football
  11. chip — to eat
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. spring — a coil
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. spring — the season
  18. suit — clothes
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. prune — to trim
  24. spring — of water

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