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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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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. root — of a word
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. last — final
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. last — finally
  7. stand — to bear
  8. tube — the underground
  9. root — of a plant
  10. current — of water
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. current — happening now
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. last — to go on
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. root — the cause
  21. content — happy
  22. tube — a container
  23. content — the amount
  24. leaves — of a tree

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