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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. current — electric
  4. rest — what's left
  5. chest — a box
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. spring — the season
  9. current — of water
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — to wash
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rest — a break
  14. bass — the fish
  15. current — happening now
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bass — low music
  19. chest — of your body
  20. perch — the fish
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — of water
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. chest — of your body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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