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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 120 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. tear — from crying
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. land — to come down
  8. branch — a division
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. current — electric
  11. land — ground
  12. current — of water
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. swing — to play on
  15. perch — the fish
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. swing — music
  19. land — a country
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. swing — in golf
  22. tear — to rip
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. hide — to keep secret

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