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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 120 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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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: trunk · kid · fan · race · bear · face · stem · current

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bear — the animal
  3. current — electric
  4. kid — to tease
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — humankind
  8. face — to confront
  9. race — a contest
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bear — the animal
  16. current — happening now
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. face — to point toward
  19. current — of water
  20. face — part of the head
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. kid — child
  24. stem — to come from

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