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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. branch — a division
  3. cold — an illness
  4. current — happening now
  5. squash — to crush
  6. charge — a price
  7. current — of water
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bulb — for light
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. charge — electricity
  19. bulb — for light
  20. charge — in control
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. squash — the sport
  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