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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. tear — from crying
  3. hand — in cards
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. bulb — for light
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cue — a hint
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. cue — for pool
  15. squash — the sport
  16. game — wild animals
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. game — a match
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. squash — to crush
  23. hand — help
  24. current — happening now

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