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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 116 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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. current — of water
  3. clip — for paper
  4. firm — a company
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. file — a document
  7. club — for golf
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. current — electric
  10. file — a tool
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. file — a line of people
  13. prune — to trim
  14. firm — steady
  15. club — for dancing
  16. clip — a video
  17. firm — decided
  18. current — happening now
  19. clip — to cut
  20. prune — to trim
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. wake — a trail
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. club — a group

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