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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. wound — an injury
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. current — happening now
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. current — electric
  12. ground — crushed
  13. game — wild animals
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wake — a trail
  16. current — of water
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. game — a match
  19. pass — a permit
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — the earth
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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