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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. scale — in music
  5. current — electric
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bank — of a river
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. sharp — clever
  10. current — of water
  11. prune — to trim
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. current — happening now
  14. track — a song
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bank — for money
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. track — a path
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bank — for money
  23. scale — size or range
  24. track — to keep track

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