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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. spring — the season
  6. stock — goods
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. current — happening now
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spring — of water
  12. current — of water
  13. net — in sport
  14. bulb — for light
  15. current — electric
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. march — music
  19. stock — shares
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. spring — a coil
  24. calf — of the leg

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