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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. current — electric
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. shower — rain
  10. cap — a hat
  11. current — of water
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. current — happening now
  15. tube — the underground
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rash — a series
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. tube — a container
  21. wake — a trail
  22. cap — of ice
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. shower — to wash

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