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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 120 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: bulb · file · bear · trunk · clip · current · chest · coach

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. current — of water
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. chest — a box
  5. current — electric
  6. clip — to cut
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. current — happening now
  14. file — a document
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bear — the animal
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. file — a tool
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. clip — a video
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bulb — for light

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