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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. current — happening now
  3. bass — the fish
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. current — electric
  6. staff — employees
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. spell — letters
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pop — soda
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pop — music
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bass — low music
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. staff — employees
  18. root — the cause
  19. spell — a short time
  20. root — of a word
  21. current — of water
  22. spell — magic
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pop — to visit

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