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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. ground — the earth
  3. prune — to trim
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a line
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. ground — a position
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. spell — a short time
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spell — magic
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. spell — letters
  17. ground — crushed
  18. prune — to trim
  19. current — electric
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. current — of water
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. rush — hurry

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