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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wind — moving air
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wind — moving air
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. current — of water
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. squash — the sport
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. degree — an amount
  19. current — happening now
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. degree — from a university
  22. vault — a safe
  23. degree — temperature
  24. ground — a position

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