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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: pitcher · plane · can · current · trunk · branch · bear · kid

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. can — a tin
  5. branch — a division
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. plane — a tool
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. current — electric
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. can — a tin
  16. kid — child
  17. current — happening now
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. current — of water
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. can — to be able to
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bear — the animal

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