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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 116 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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. present — a gift
  3. clip — to cut
  4. dip — to sink
  5. present — there
  6. charge — a price
  7. spell — a short time
  8. current — of water
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. spell — magic
  11. present — the time now
  12. current — happening now
  13. clip — for paper
  14. net — in sport
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. current — electric
  18. charge — in control
  19. clip — a video
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. spell — letters
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. charge — electricity

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