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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: plane · cap · fan · rash · fall · bear · wound · current

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bear — the animal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wound — an injury
  7. current — of water
  8. cap — a lid
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. wound — an injury
  14. current — happening now
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. rash — hasty
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rash — a series
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. plane — a tool
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. fall — the season
  24. current — electric

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