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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. lean — thin
  3. current — of water
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. scale — in music
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. current — happening now
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. current — electric
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. key — in music
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — the most important part
  23. lean — to bend
  24. scale — size or range

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