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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. race — humankind
  2. spell — letters
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. current — of water
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. race — a contest
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. prune — to trim
  14. kick — in football
  15. stand — to bear
  16. race — the arms race
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. current — electric
  23. spring — a coil
  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