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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. tube — a container
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. current — happening now
  5. tube — the underground
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. shower — rain
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. wound — an injury
  19. current — of water
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. wound — an injury
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. fan — a supporter

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