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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bear · fan · current · wake · race · mine · bulb · kid

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bear — the animal
  4. kid — to tease
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. current — electric
  8. kid — child
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. race — a contest
  11. current — of water
  12. bulb — for light
  13. race — humankind
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bear — the animal
  19. current — happening now
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. race — the arms race
  24. wake — a trail

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