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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. current — of water
  5. cap — a lid
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. march — the month
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cap — of ice
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. current — electric
  18. bore — to drill
  19. branch — a division
  20. bore — to tire
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. cap — a hat
  23. tear — to rip
  24. squash — the sport

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