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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: kid · trunk · shower · season · toast · current · file · calf

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. file — a tool
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. kid — child
  15. file — a document
  16. kid — to tease
  17. toast — bread
  18. file — a line of people
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. current — happening now
  22. shower — to wash
  23. season — of the year
  24. shower — rain

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