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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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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: bat · current · scale · rash · jam · fan · bear · wake

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bat — the animal
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. scale — in music
  9. bear — the animal
  10. current — happening now
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bear — the animal
  14. current — electric
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. current — of water
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rash — a series
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. wake — before a funeral

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