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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. land — ground
  3. row — to paddle
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. shower — rain
  7. rash — a series
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. land — to come down
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. rash — hasty
  12. shower — to wash
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. current — electric
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. current — happening now
  21. land — a country
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. perch — for a bird
  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