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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. squash — the sport
  3. net — in sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. current — of water
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. current — happening now
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bulb — for light
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. net — for catching
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. net — after costs
  22. current — electric
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. calf — a young animal

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