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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: wake · current · kick · calf · trunk · bound · shower · content

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bound — obliged
  7. kick — in football
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. content — the amount
  12. bound — certain
  13. shower — rain
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — electric
  22. content — happy
  23. wake — a trail
  24. current — of water

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