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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. mate — to breed
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. current — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. can — a tin
  7. shower — to wash
  8. can — to be able to
  9. sharp — clever
  10. shower — rain
  11. can — a tin
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rest — what's left
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. rest — a break
  17. mate — a partner
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. spring — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — electric
  24. rest — what's left

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