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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: trunk · calf · spell · fine · hide · game · current · tear

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. tear — from crying
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. tear — from crying
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. game — a match
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. spell — a short time
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. tear — to rip
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fine — all right
  21. current — happening now
  22. fine — high quality
  23. game — wild animals
  24. current — electric

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