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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: root · lie · kid · wound · fan · current · toast · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. current — electric
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. kid — child
  6. lie — to recline
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wound — an injury
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — the cause
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. current — happening now
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. kid — to tease
  19. fall — the season
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. toast — bread
  22. root — of a word
  23. wound — an injury
  24. current — of water

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