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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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mark — a grade
  5. current — electric
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. object — a thing
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bulb — for light
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. object — to protest
  17. current — happening now
  18. object — an aim
  19. dip — to sink
  20. shower — to wash
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. current — of water
  24. shower — rain

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