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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: current · season · mug · chest · face · row · squash · trunk

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. face — part of the head
  4. mug — to rob
  5. current — electric
  6. chest — of your body
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. squash — to crush
  10. chest — a box
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. season — in sport
  13. current — happening now
  14. chest — of your body
  15. squash — the sport
  16. face — to confront
  17. row — to paddle
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. row — a line
  20. mug — a face
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. current — of water
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mug — a cup

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