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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — happening now
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. scale — in music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bass — low music
  9. current — of water
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bass — the fish
  12. spring — of water
  13. mate — a friend
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. scale — size or range
  16. spring — the season
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. tube — a container
  19. spring — a coil
  20. sharp — clever
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — to breed

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