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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pop — soda
  4. pound — a weight
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. land — ground
  7. can — to be able to
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. swing — music
  10. can — a tin
  11. swing — in golf
  12. land — to come down
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. land — a country
  15. current — electric
  16. pop — music
  17. current — of water
  18. swing — to play on
  19. current — happening now
  20. cold — an illness
  21. can — a tin
  22. cold — not warm
  23. pop — to visit
  24. trunk — of a car

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