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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 124 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. root — the cause
  9. spring — the season
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. current — of water
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. current — happening now
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. spring — of water
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wind — moving air
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. hand — help
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. spring — a coil

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