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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. foot — a measure
  5. present — the time now
  6. branch — a division
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — to push
  9. current — of water
  10. present — a gift
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. shower — to wash
  15. cold — not warm
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. present — there
  20. bulb — for light
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. shower — rain
  24. press — a publisher

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