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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. present — a gift
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rock — music
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. present — there
  8. prune — to trim
  9. present — the time now
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — a cup
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. rock — a stone
  18. current — of water
  19. prune — to trim
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. mug — to rob

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