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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. ground — the earth
  3. row — a line
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — of water
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wound — an injury
  8. branch — a division
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. current — electric
  15. bulb — for light
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. ground — crushed
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — to sink
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. ground — a position
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. snap — to click

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