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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. pop — soda
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. ball — a great time
  5. current — of water
  6. pop — music
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. spring — of water
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. current — happening now
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. stem — to come from
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pop — to visit
  19. chair — a leader
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. ball — a dance
  24. current — electric

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