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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. current — of water
  5. spring — of water
  6. can — a tin
  7. spring — a coil
  8. degree — from a university
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. spring — the season
  14. degree — an amount
  15. current — happening now
  16. root — the cause
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. degree — temperature
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. root — of a plant
  22. current — electric
  23. mug — to rob
  24. root — of a word

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