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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. current — electric
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bank — for money
  6. wind — moving air
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. wind — moving air
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. key — in music
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. current — happening now
  16. prune — to trim
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. field — farmland
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. field — for sport
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. prune — to trim
  23. current — of water
  24. key — for a lock

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