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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. can — to be able to
  4. current — electric
  5. can — a tin
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. drill — a practice
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. current — happening now
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wake — a trail
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. current — of water
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. can — a tin
  22. drill — army training
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wound — an injury

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