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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. chest — of your body
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. root — of a plant
  7. current — of water
  8. chest — a box
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. tube — the underground
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wind — moving air
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. kick — in football
  17. hand — in cards
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — a safe
  20. tube — a container
  21. current — happening now
  22. root — the cause
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. root — of a word

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