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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — size or range
  3. current — of water
  4. shower — rain
  5. root — the cause
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. root — of a plant
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. bat — the animal
  12. root — of a word
  13. scale — in music
  14. wake — a trail
  15. current — electric
  16. rash — a series
  17. current — happening now
  18. can — a tin
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. shower — to wash
  24. wake — before a funeral

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