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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bore — to tire
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bore — to drill
  8. foot — a measure
  9. wind — moving air
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. current — electric
  13. current — happening now
  14. rush — hurry
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. current — of water
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. saw — the tool
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. foot — the bottom

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