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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. current — of water
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. clip — for paper
  10. shower — rain
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. fall — to drop
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. deal — to handle
  16. fall — to drop
  17. clip — a video
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. current — electric
  21. clip — to cut
  22. current — happening now
  23. shower — to wash
  24. fall — the season

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