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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. can — to be able to
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. band — a music group
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — electric
  18. band — a ring
  19. current — of water
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. mouse — for a computer

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