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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. current — electric
  5. march — the month
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. stem — to come from
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bore — to tire
  16. march — music
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. date — the fruit
  20. current — of water
  21. bore — to drill
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. march — the month
  24. current — happening now

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