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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 120 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bulb — for light
  4. spell — magic
  5. drill — army training
  6. current — of water
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. spell — letters
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. snap — to click
  16. chest — of your body
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. current — happening now
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. spell — a short time
  21. drill — a practice
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. drill — the tool

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