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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bass — low music
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rest — what's left
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. current — electric
  10. chest — a box
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. rest — a break
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bark — to shout
  22. current — of water
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. current — happening now

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