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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. pit — a hole
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — of water
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. root — the cause
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. current — electric
  18. root — of a plant
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. root — of a word
  23. wake — a trail
  24. lash — an eyelash

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