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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 124 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. current — happening now
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. current — of water
  6. cold — not warm
  7. current — electric
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. roll — a cake
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. tube — a container
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. tube — the underground
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. roll — a list
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. leaves — to go away

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