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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. current — electric
  3. chest — of your body
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. current — happening now
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. face — part of the head
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. chest — a box
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. pop — soda
  12. spring — the season
  13. current — of water
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. spring — of water
  16. face — to confront
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pop — music
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pop — to visit
  21. hand — in cards
  22. spring — a coil
  23. face — to point toward
  24. nail — for a hammer

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