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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. present — the time now
  7. prune — to trim
  8. present — a gift
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — the season
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. spring — of water
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. fork — in a road
  15. current — electric
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. chair — a leader
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — of water
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. present — there

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