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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: rock · chest · current · object · spell · stem · trunk · straw

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rock — a stone
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — to protest
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. spell — a short time
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rock — music
  11. chest — a box
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. current — electric
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. current — of water
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. chest — of your body
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. current — happening now
  23. spell — magic
  24. object — a thing

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