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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. land — to come down
  3. current — happening now
  4. rash — hasty
  5. file — a tool
  6. cue — a signal
  7. land — a country
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cue — for pool
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. current — electric
  12. cue — a hint
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. file — a line of people
  16. current — of water
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. root — of a plant
  20. land — ground
  21. rash — a series
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. file — a document
  24. root — the cause

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