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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — size or range
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cold — an illness
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wind — moving air
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wound — an injury
  15. current — happening now
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. current — of water
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. cold — not warm
  22. current — electric
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. temple — side of the head

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