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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. season — of the year
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bulb — for light
  11. season — in sport
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — to tire
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. current — of water
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. current — happening now

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