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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: current · foot · pass · trunk · cap · fork · tear · shower

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. cap — a lid
  3. foot — a measure
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. cap — a hat
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. shower — rain
  10. current — happening now
  11. cap — of ice
  12. current — of water
  13. shower — to wash
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. current — electric
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. pass — to spend time

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