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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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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. current — happening now
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fall — the season
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. march — the month
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. march — music
  12. dip — to sink
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. fall — to drop
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. march — the month
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fall — to drop
  22. current — electric
  23. perch — the fish
  24. current — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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