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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: current · racket · straw · chest · trunk · bark · clip · can

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. can — to be able to
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. clip — to cut
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. current — electric
  9. current — happening now
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. clip — for paper
  15. can — a tin
  16. current — of water
  17. chest — a box
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. chest — of your body
  21. can — a tin
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. chest — of your body
  24. clip — a video

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