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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. current — happening now
  5. chest — of your body
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. current — of water
  10. pound — a weight
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bulb — for light
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. mine — for digging
  17. cold — not warm
  18. toast — bread
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bank — for money
  21. current — electric
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. chest — a box

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