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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: current · wound · tube · shower · row · root · calf · bulb

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. current — happening now
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. current — of water
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. shower — to wash
  10. row — to paddle
  11. wound — an injury
  12. current — electric
  13. tube — the underground
  14. row — a line
  15. root — the cause
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. root — of a word
  18. wound — an injury
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. shower — rain
  24. bulb — for light

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