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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. can — to be able to
  3. bound — obliged
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bound — certain
  6. fall — to drop
  7. season — in sport
  8. can — a tin
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. current — happening now
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. can — a tin
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wax — to grow
  16. row — to paddle
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bound — tied together
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — a cake
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. current — electric
  24. row — a line

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