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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. current — of water
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. capital — a city
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. rush — hurry
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. band — a music group
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. current — happening now
  21. mine — for digging
  22. band — a ring
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rush — a thrill

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