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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. drill — a practice
  5. rock — a stone
  6. drill — the tool
  7. land — ground
  8. land — a country
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. current — of water
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bear — the animal
  15. current — happening now
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rock — music
  18. drill — army training
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bear — the animal
  24. current — electric

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