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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bound — tied together
  3. current — of water
  4. root — of a plant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bound — certain
  7. march — the month
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a word
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. current — electric
  16. race — humankind
  17. fork — in a road
  18. race — a contest
  19. march — the month
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. current — happening now
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. march — music
  24. race — the arms race

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