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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 116 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — of water
  3. cap — of ice
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bulb — for light
  6. firm — a company
  7. tear — from crying
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. current — electric
  10. rash — a series
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rash — hasty
  15. cap — a lid
  16. firm — decided
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. firm — steady
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to sink
  21. cap — a hat
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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