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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bank — of a river
  6. root — of a plant
  7. current — electric
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. file — a tool
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. file — a document
  14. root — of a word
  15. current — happening now
  16. root — the cause
  17. cap — a hat
  18. current — of water
  19. file — a line of people
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. wind — moving air

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