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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. current — electric
  3. bulb — for light
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rest — a break
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. current — happening now
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. current — of water
  17. staff — employees
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. branch — a division
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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