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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. land — ground
  6. shower — to wash
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. tube — the underground
  9. season — in sport
  10. bass — low music
  11. current — happening now
  12. land — a country
  13. bass — the fish
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. shower — rain
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. current — of water
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. current — electric
  22. land — to come down
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. tube — a container

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