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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wind — moving air
  5. prune — to trim
  6. file — a document
  7. prune — to trim
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. tear — to rip
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. file — a tool
  16. current — happening now
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. calf — a young animal

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