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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. band — a music group
  5. bat — the animal
  6. spell — magic
  7. mate — a friend
  8. band — a ring
  9. spell — letters
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. spell — a short time
  14. degree — from a university
  15. current — electric
  16. can — a tin
  17. current — happening now
  18. can — to be able to
  19. mate — to breed
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mate — a partner
  24. can — a tin

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