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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. season — of the year
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. band — a music group
  9. row — a line
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. current — happening now
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. current — of water
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. staff — employees
  18. band — a ring
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. row — to paddle
  22. current — electric
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. season — in sport

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