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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. land — to come down
  4. current — of water
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. current — electric
  9. staff — a stick
  10. fine — all right
  11. chest — of your body
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. current — happening now
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. staff — employees
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. land — ground
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. land — a country
  24. calf — a young animal

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