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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. object — a thing
  3. current — happening now
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. spring — the season
  8. object — to protest
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. current — of water
  12. wound — an injury
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wound — an injury
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. current — electric
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wax — to grow
  20. object — an aim
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. spring — a coil
  23. deal — to handle
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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