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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 116 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 · game · nail · cap · season · trunk · ground · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. season — in sport
  3. file — a document
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. game — a match
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bulb — for light
  10. file — a line of people
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. game — wild animals
  13. ground — a position
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. file — a tool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cap — a hat
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. ground — the earth
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. season — of the year
  24. ground — crushed

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