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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 · track · bore · season · cue · current · cabinet · chip

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. track — to keep track
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. track — a song
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. season — in sport
  10. bore — to tire
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bore — to drill
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. cue — a hint
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. chip — for betting
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. current — electric
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. track — a path

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