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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: bark · trunk · spell · press · kick · current · swing · can

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. press — to push
  6. swing — to play on
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. current — electric
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bark — to shout
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. current — happening now
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. swing — in golf
  16. current — of water
  17. press — a publisher
  18. kick — in football
  19. press — newspapers
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. swing — music
  22. spell — letters
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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