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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. press — newspapers
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. current — of water
  11. press — to push
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pound — a weight
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. current — happening now
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. hand — help
  19. date — the fruit
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. press — a publisher
  23. hand — in cards
  24. date — on the calendar

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