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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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468
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 · chest · sharp · can · wound · season · trunk · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. current — happening now
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. current — of water
  7. can — to be able to
  8. season — in sport
  9. chest — a box
  10. current — electric
  11. can — a tin
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. can — a tin
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wound — an injury
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. season — of the year
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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