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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. present — a gift
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bank — for money
  5. degree — temperature
  6. present — there
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. fall — to drop
  9. current — electric
  10. spell — magic
  11. rash — hasty
  12. degree — from a university
  13. spell — letters
  14. bank — of a river
  15. current — happening now
  16. spell — a short time
  17. kid — child
  18. present — the time now
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. current — of water
  22. bank — for money
  23. degree — an amount
  24. kid — to tease

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