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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. fall — to drop
  4. current — of water
  5. fall — the season
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. land — ground
  9. fall — to drop
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. current — happening now
  13. drill — a practice
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. drill — army training
  17. stock — goods
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. shower — rain
  21. club — a group
  22. stock — shares
  23. shower — to wash
  24. drill — the tool

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