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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. current — of water
  3. rest — a break
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. cold — an illness
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. suit — clothes
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. current — electric
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. rest — what's left
  16. suit — to fit
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cold — not warm
  21. current — happening now
  22. suit — in cards
  23. file — a document
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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