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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — of water
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rest — what's left
  10. root — of a plant
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. file — a document
  13. land — to come down
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rest — what's left
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. rest — a break
  19. current — electric
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. root — the cause
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. root — of a word

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