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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. can — to be able to
  4. present — the time now
  5. current — electric
  6. current — of water
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. shower — to wash
  10. current — happening now
  11. shower — rain
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. stem — to come from
  17. can — a tin
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — there
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. can — a tin
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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