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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bank — for money
  4. current — happening now
  5. chest — of your body
  6. root — the cause
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chest — of your body
  9. current — electric
  10. object — a thing
  11. bank — of a river
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to click
  14. current — of water
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bank — for money
  17. mine — for digging
  18. object — to protest
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. object — an aim
  21. root — of a word
  22. chest — a box
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. root — of a plant

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