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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cell — a phone
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spring — the season
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. current — happening now
  8. shower — to wash
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. current — electric
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. current — of water
  14. spring — of water
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. shower — rain
  17. spell — magic
  18. cell — in biology
  19. chip — for betting
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stand — to bear
  24. spell — letters

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