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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. current — happening now
  4. wind — moving air
  5. can — a tin
  6. wind — moving air
  7. current — of water
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wax — to grow
  10. current — electric
  11. pop — to visit
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pop — music
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. race — humankind
  16. pop — soda
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — to eat
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. can — a tin
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. race — a contest
  24. chip — in a computer

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