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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 116 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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — electric
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. tube — the underground
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. root — of a plant
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. current — of water
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. cap — of ice
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. tube — a container
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cap — a hat
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. root — the cause
  22. can — to be able to
  23. cap — a lid
  24. root — of a word

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