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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: last · sharp · straw · bear · hide · trunk · current · club

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. current — of water
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. current — happening now
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. club — a group
  10. sharp — clever
  11. last — finally
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bear — the animal
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bear — the animal
  17. club — for dancing
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. current — electric
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. club — for golf
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. hide — to keep secret

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