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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. current — happening now
  3. band — a ring
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bass — low music
  8. current — of water
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cold — not warm
  14. band — a music group
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. shower — rain
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. current — electric
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. staff — employees
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bass — the fish

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