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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. current — happening now
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. land — ground
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pass — a permit
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. land — a country
  12. file — a line of people
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. current — of water
  15. tube — a container
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a document
  18. stem — to come from
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. tube — the underground
  22. current — electric
  23. land — to come down
  24. fan — to cool the air

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