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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. current — of water
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. tube — a container
  16. current — electric
  17. tube — the underground
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. perch — the fish
  20. current — happening now
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tear — to rip
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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