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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bulb — for light
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. track — a path
  7. craft — boats
  8. content — the amount
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. mine — for digging
  11. track — to keep track
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. current — happening now
  14. track — a song
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. content — happy
  17. craft — a skill
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. current — electric
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. current — of water
  24. mine — an explosive

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