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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. current — electric
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cold — an illness
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. drill — army training
  24. perch — the fish

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