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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. tube — a container
  3. land — to come down
  4. current — happening now
  5. row — a line
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. row — to paddle
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bore — to tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. land — ground
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. land — a country
  21. plane — a tool
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. current — electric
  24. bore — to drill

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