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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. root — of a word
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. wound — an injury
  9. current — of water
  10. tear — from crying
  11. root — the cause
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pop — soda
  15. wound — an injury
  16. current — electric
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. branch — a division
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. tear — from crying
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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