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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. can — a tin
  3. rule — a law
  4. current — happening now
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. spell — letters
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. current — electric
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. row — a line
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. current — of water
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. can — a tin
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. can — to be able to
  19. branch — a division
  20. rule — government
  21. sharp — clever
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. sharp — with an edge

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