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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stem — to come from
  5. spring — of water
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. fall — to drop
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. spring — the season
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. current — electric
  15. wax — to grow
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. current — happening now
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. deal — to handle
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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