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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · fan · wind · hide · straw · perch · rash · current

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. current — happening now
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. tube — a container
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. current — of water
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wind — moving air
  20. current — electric
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. tube — the underground

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