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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 120 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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. shower — rain
  3. current — electric
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — to wash
  6. land — to come down
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. present — the time now
  14. tube — a container
  15. stem — to come from
  16. land — a country
  17. present — there
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. present — a gift
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. wake — a trail

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