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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. field — a subject
  4. current — electric
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wind — moving air
  12. field — farmland
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. field — for sport
  15. mine — for digging
  16. current — of water
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. current — happening now
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. ruler — for measuring

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