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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 120 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. track — to keep track
  4. prune — to trim
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. current — electric
  8. charge — electricity
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. track — a path
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. scale — in music
  13. charge — a price
  14. charge — in control
  15. scale — size or range
  16. current — of water
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. track — a song
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. trunk — of a tree

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