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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · current · trunk · arm · land · squash · wound · mark

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wake — a trail
  8. land — a country
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mark — a grade
  11. current — of water
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. land — ground
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. current — happening now
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. squash — the sport
  19. current — electric
  20. squash — to crush
  21. land — to come down
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mark — a trace

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