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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. file — a line of people
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. current — of water
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wound — an injury
  8. tear — from crying
  9. file — a document
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. current — electric
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. craft — boats
  14. bank — of a river
  15. current — happening now
  16. tear — to rip
  17. file — a tool
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bank — for money
  20. wound — an injury
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bank — for money
  23. tear — from crying
  24. craft — a skill

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