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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. current — electric
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. current — of water
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. spring — a coil
  9. hand — help
  10. current — happening now
  11. hand — in cards
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. game — wild animals
  14. staff — employees
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. spring — the season
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. deal — to handle
  20. staff — a stick
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. spring — of water
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. staff — employees

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