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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. drill — army training
  3. current — electric
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — a law
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. rule — government
  11. current — happening now
  12. tear — from crying
  13. capital — a city
  14. bound — obliged
  15. current — of water
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. mine — for digging
  19. capital — money
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bound — certain
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mine — belonging to me

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