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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. current — of water
  5. rest — what's left
  6. degree — from a university
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. court — of a king
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. current — happening now
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. prune — to trim
  18. court — of law
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. court — for sport
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. trunk — of a tree

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