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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 120 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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. root — of a word
  3. current — of water
  4. tube — a container
  5. wind — moving air
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. scale — in music
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pit — a hole
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. root — of a plant
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pit — in a race
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. current — happening now
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. root — the cause
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. perch — the fish
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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