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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. current — happening now
  4. shower — to wash
  5. root — of a word
  6. current — electric
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. shower — rain
  9. band — a music group
  10. root — the cause
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. current — of water
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. rash — a series
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rash — hasty
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. band — a ring
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. hand — help
  24. root — of a plant

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