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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. staff — a stick
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. cold — an illness
  7. tube — a container
  8. cold — not warm
  9. file — a line of people
  10. current — electric
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. land — ground
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. staff — employees
  15. current — happening now
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. tube — the underground
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. current — of water
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. file — a document
  23. staff — employees
  24. file — a tool

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