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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. current — happening now
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. fall — the season
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stem — to come from
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fork — in a road
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. current — electric
  21. current — of water
  22. fine — all right
  23. fall — to drop
  24. scale — size or range

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