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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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 — of water
  2. clip — for paper
  3. current — happening now
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bore — to drill
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mug — a cup
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. clip — a video
  11. tube — a container
  12. bore — to tire
  13. tube — the underground
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. mug — a face
  18. foot — a measure
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mug — to rob
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. current — electric
  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