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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. present — a gift
  3. kid — to tease
  4. current — of water
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. current — happening now
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. board — to get on
  12. land — ground
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. land — a country
  15. rest — what's left
  16. present — there
  17. board — a committee
  18. kid — child
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. current — electric
  21. land — to come down
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. present — the time now
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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