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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · chest · fan · current · perch · leaves · wake · chair

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. chest — a box
  4. current — electric
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. chair — a leader
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. tube — a container
  14. wake — a trail
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. current — happening now
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. current — of water
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. perch — for a bird

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