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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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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 · spring · pitcher · lean · season · current · can · root

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. season — in sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — a coil
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. current — electric
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. root — the cause
  13. can — to be able to
  14. spring — of water
  15. lean — to bend
  16. season — of the year
  17. root — of a word
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. lean — thin
  20. root — of a plant
  21. can — a tin
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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