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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. season — of the year
  4. current — electric
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. ground — a position
  8. stock — shares
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. shower — rain
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bulb — for light
  18. season — in sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. current — happening now
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. current — of water
  24. stock — goods

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