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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. capital — money
  6. current — happening now
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. capital — a city
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. current — electric
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. current — of water

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