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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. can — a tin
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. current — happening now
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. current — electric
  7. current — of water
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. can — to be able to
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. rash — a series
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. drill — army training
  20. can — a tin
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rash — hasty
  24. leaves — lets stay

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