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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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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: wave · trunk · chip · current · fan · sharp · cap · scale

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. chip — to eat
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. current — happening now
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — in music
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. sharp — clever
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cap — of ice
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cap — a lid
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

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