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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 116 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. current — electric
  4. track — to keep track
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. current — of water
  8. sharp — clever
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. current — happening now
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. track — a path
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. track — a song
  19. bear — the animal
  20. lie — to recline
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bear — the animal
  23. shower — to wash
  24. sharp — exactly

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