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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. ground — a position
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. current — of water
  11. current — electric
  12. tube — a container
  13. ground — crushed
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bark — to shout
  19. current — happening now
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stock — shares
  23. tube — the underground
  24. stock — goods

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