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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. current — of water
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. root — of a plant
  7. wax — to grow
  8. root — of a word
  9. root — the cause
  10. fall — the season
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. current — electric
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. drill — a practice
  16. fall — to drop
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. current — happening now
  24. drill — army training

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