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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mug — a cup
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. club — for golf
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cap — a lid
  14. club — a group
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cap — a hat
  17. rash — a series
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mug — to rob
  22. current — of water
  23. mug — a face
  24. cap — of ice

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