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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. chair — a leader
  4. current — happening now
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. current — electric
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spring — the season
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bark — to shout
  14. plane — a tool
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. spring — of water
  23. current — of water
  24. chair — to sit on

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