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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. tube — a container
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wind — moving air
  5. current — happening now
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wound — an injury
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. scale — size or range
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. scale — in music
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stem — to come from
  24. scale — for weighing

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