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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. rush — hurry
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. chip — to eat
  8. lean — thin
  9. bear — the animal
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. march — music
  13. lean — to bend
  14. march — the month
  15. chip — for betting
  16. kid — child
  17. current — electric
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — of water
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bear — the animal
  24. march — the month

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