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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. current — of water
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. charge — a price
  7. hand — in cards
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. current — electric
  10. charge — in control
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. current — happening now
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. prune — to trim
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. charge — electricity
  24. prune — the fruit

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