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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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. chest — of your body
  3. current — electric
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. prune — to trim
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. current — of water
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. face — part of the head
  13. current — happening now
  14. fall — to drop
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. face — to confront
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. wake — a trail
  20. chest — a box
  21. face — to point toward
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fall — to drop

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