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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 116 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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. current — electric
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. game — a match
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. prune — to trim
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. current — of water
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. spring — a coil
  23. wax — to grow
  24. current — happening now

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