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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: ground · lean · rock · race · wake · trunk · mouse · current

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rock — music
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. race — humankind
  5. ground — the earth
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. lean — to bend
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. race — a contest
  13. current — happening now
  14. wake — a trail
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. ground — a position
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. ground — crushed
  20. race — the arms race
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — a stone

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