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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. net — in sport
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. wind — moving air
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. net — for catching
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. net — after costs
  15. track — a song
  16. track — a path
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stock — shares
  20. track — to keep track
  21. current — of water
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. stock — goods
  24. ruler — a monarch

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