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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. object — an aim
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. object — a thing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. current — happening now
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. scale — in music
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. current — electric
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. object — to protest
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — a phone
  22. current — of water
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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