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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.

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: fan · trunk · hide · season · capital · current · pound · stick

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. current — electric
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. season — of the year
  9. current — happening now
  10. season — in sport
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. current — of water
  13. capital — a city
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. capital — money
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. hide — animal skin

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