One Word, Many Meanings: Multiple-Meaning Words for Class 6

This Grade 6 worksheet helps students explore and master words that have more than one meaning — a key skill for advanced reading comprehension and precise writing. Students work with multiple-meaning words such as run (exercise/cricket score), trunk (tree part/storage case), file (tool/computer file), watch (timepiece/to look at), crane (bird/machine), nail (fingernail/building spike), bat (animal/cricket equipment), pitch (sticky substance/cricket delivery), and seal (animal/wax stamp). Through five engaging activities — matching alternate meanings, sorting words into categories, fill in the blanks, multiple choice questions, and sentence rewriting — learners develop the ability to use context clues to determine the correct meaning of a word in different situations. This worksheet is an excellent resource for building vocabulary depth, improving comprehension accuracy, and preparing Grade 6 students for higher-level language tasks where contextual understanding is essential.

Why Multiple-Meaning Words Matter in Grammar?

Multiple-meaning words (also called polysemous words) are everywhere in English and play a vital role in fluent communication. For Grade 6 learners, practising these words is important because:
1. Many everyday English words have multiple meanings, and context determines which one is intended.
2. Competitive exams and reading comprehension passages frequently test understanding of word meanings in context.
3. Using multiple-meaning words correctly enriches writing and prevents ambiguity in communication.
4. Recognising different meanings builds critical thinking and analytical reading skills.

What's Inside This Worksheet?

This worksheet includes five grammar-rich activities that build fluency with multiple-meaning words:

Exercise 1 – Match the Alternate Meanings
Students match each word on the left to its alternate meaning on the right. For example, "run" matches with "to score in cricket," "trunk" matches with "a large case," "crane" matches with "a bird," and "seal" matches with "an animal." This activity strengthens awareness of how one word can carry different meanings.

Exercise 2 – Sort the Words
Students sort each word into two categories: Animal/Action and Object/Thing. Words like bat, duck, bark, seal, and spring go under Animal/Action, while words like pen, light, match, rock, ring, and bank go under Object/Thing. This builds classification and meaning-identification skills.

Exercise 3 – Fill in the Blanks
Students choose the correct meaning of the multiple-meaning word to complete each sentence. For example: "Rahul went for his morning ___ (run/jog) along the park track." The correct answer is "run." This reinforces contextual understanding of word meanings.

Exercise 4 – Multiple Choice Questions
Students pick the correct multiple-meaning word from four options. For example: "The ship will ________ soon. a) sunk b) sank c) sink d) sync." The correct answer is "sink." This sharpens the ability to distinguish between similar-sounding words with different meanings.

Exercise 5 – Rewrite the Sentences
Students rewrite each sentence by replacing the incorrectly used multiple-meaning word with the correct one. For example: "Anjali put all her files in the big run under her bed." becomes "Anjali put all her files in the big trunk under her bed." This exercise builds proofreading and contextual vocabulary skills.

Answer Key (For Parents & Educators)

Exercise 1 – Match the Alternate Meanings
1. run → to score in cricket
2. trunk → a large case
3. file → to sharpen
4. watch → to look at
5. right → correct answer
6. crane → a bird
7. nail → finger tip
8. bat → nocturnal flier
9. pitch → a dark colour
10. seal → an animal

Exercise 2 – Sort the Words
Animal/Action: bat, duck, bark, seal, bow, spring
Object/Thing: pen, light, match, rock, ring, fair, tire, bank, well

Exercise 3 – Fill in the Blanks
1. run
2. trunk
3. file
4. watch
5. crane
6. pitch
7. nail
8. seal
9. nail
10. match

Exercise 4 – Multiple Choice Questions
1. c) sink
2. a) sink
3. a) kite
4. b) fly
5. c) race
6. b) pen
7. d) fit
8. b) shut
9. c) match
10. a) match

Exercise 5 – Rewritten Sentences
1. Anjali put all her files in the big trunk under her bed.
2. Rahul used a file to smooth the rough piece of wood.
3. Diya forgot to wear her watch before leaving for school.
4. Pooja broke a nail while shifting the heavy cupboard.
5. Arjun saw a seal sleeping quietly on the rocks at Mysore.
6. Neha bowled a perfect spell on the cricket field today.
7. Kartik went on his morning run along the colony road.
8. Rohan used a large crane to lift the heavy steel beam.
9. Aarav made a run on the cricket ground in the evening.
10. Anjali filed her important papers at the school office today.

Help your child unlock the power of words with multiple meanings through a Free 1:1 Vocabulary Enhancement Trial Class at PlanetSpark. Our expert educators use context-based strategies to make learning multiple-meaning words engaging and effective.
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