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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — happy
  6. chest — of your body
  7. current — happening now
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fall — to drop
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. current — of water
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. chest — a box
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. current — electric

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