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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. staff — employees
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. band — a music group
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. lean — thin
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. staff — a stick
  12. foot — a measure
  13. spring — a coil
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. spring — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. lean — to bend
  19. staff — employees
  20. band — a ring
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. current — electric

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