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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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bass — low music
  3. current — of water
  4. saw — the tool
  5. plane — a tool
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. saw — the tool
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. current — happening now
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. shower — to wash
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. current — electric
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bass — the fish
  23. branch — a division
  24. bat — in an idiom

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