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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. current — of water
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. current — happening now
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. band — a music group
  17. fall — the season
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. current — electric
  20. spring — the season
  21. band — a ring
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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