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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: chest · bass · land · trunk · wound · current · dip · mouse

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bass — the fish
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. wound — an injury
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bass — low music
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. current — electric
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wound — an injury
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. current — happening now
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. chest — a box
  22. current — of water
  23. dip — to sink
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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