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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. current — electric
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. clip — for paper
  5. rash — a series
  6. current — of water
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. scale — in music
  10. current — happening now
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. clip — a video
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pound — a weight
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bound — tied together
  19. clip — to cut
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rash — hasty

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