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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wake — a trail
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. swing — in golf
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. swing — to play on
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. shower — to wash
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bank — for money
  13. march — the month
  14. shower — rain
  15. stand — to bear
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. current — electric
  18. bank — of a river
  19. current — happening now
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. swing — music
  23. current — of water
  24. wake — before a funeral

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