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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. current — electric
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. prune — to trim
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. cold — not warm
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — in cards
  12. prune — to trim
  13. suit — clothes
  14. current — of water
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — to get on
  17. cold — an illness
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. degree — from a university
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. degree — temperature
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. degree — an amount
  24. perch — the fish

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