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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rest — a break
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. current — electric
  12. suit — to fit
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. suit — in cards
  15. current — of water
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. current — happening now
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mine — for digging

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