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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 120 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. dip — to sink
  3. object — to protest
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. land — ground
  6. band — a music group
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. lean — thin
  10. land — to come down
  11. current — of water
  12. current — happening now
  13. wind — moving air
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a ring
  17. land — a country
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — a thing
  21. lean — to bend
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. current — electric
  24. can — a tin

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