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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. last — to go on
  3. current — electric
  4. rush — hurry
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. last — final
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wake — a trail
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. mine — for digging
  13. branch — a division
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. last — finally
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. current — of water
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. current — happening now

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