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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. degree — an amount
  3. current — of water
  4. file — a document
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. current — electric
  7. fall — the season
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. file — a tool
  12. current — happening now
  13. rock — music
  14. file — a line of people
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. fall — to drop
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bulb — for light

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