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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. current — electric
  5. fork — in a road
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — the fish
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. current — of water
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. kid — child
  13. current — happening now
  14. squash — the sport
  15. spring — of water
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. squash — to crush
  19. mug — a face
  20. spring — a coil
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mug — to rob
  23. spring — the season
  24. mug — a cup

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