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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cue — a signal
  10. current — of water
  11. bass — low music
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. rash — a series
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. current — electric
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. branch — a division
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. cue — for pool
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cue — a hint
  24. wave — with your hand

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