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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. spell — letters
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. current — of water
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. spring — the season
  7. current — happening now
  8. bear — the animal
  9. hand — help
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. spell — a short time
  12. wax — to grow
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. spell — magic
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bear — the animal
  20. spring — of water
  21. kick — in football
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. dip — to sink

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