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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 to change the light ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. current — happening now
  5. row — a line
  6. prune — to trim
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. branch — a division
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. current — of water
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. prune — to trim
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. kid — child
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. row — to paddle
  23. kid — to tease
  24. current — electric

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