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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. degree — from a university
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. current — electric
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. degree — temperature
  12. plane — a tool
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. wind — moving air
  15. current — of water
  16. season — of the year
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. degree — an amount
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. season — in sport
  24. current — happening now

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