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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: chest · kid · bear · fall · bulb · suit · spell · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. spell — letters
  3. fall — to drop
  4. spell — magic
  5. bear — the animal
  6. suit — to fit
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. spell — a short time
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. suit — clothes
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fall — the season
  15. bulb — for light
  16. suit — in cards
  17. kid — child
  18. current — happening now
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bear — the animal
  21. current — electric
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fall — to drop

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