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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. spell — a short time
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. game — wild animals
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. rash — a series
  8. game — a match
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. current — happening now
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. stem — to come from
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. current — electric
  16. scale — size or range
  17. spell — letters
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. spell — magic
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. current — of water
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. rash — on the skin

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