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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. lean — thin
  8. current — happening now
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. file — a document
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. rush — hurry
  14. field — for sport
  15. file — a line of people
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. lean — to bend
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. file — a tool
  20. wake — a trail
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. current — of water
  24. current — electric

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