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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. current — happening now
  3. band — a ring
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. band — a music group
  8. current — electric
  9. land — a country
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. land — to come down
  18. current — of water
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pound — a weight
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. land — ground

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