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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. face — to confront
  6. press — newspapers
  7. saw — the tool
  8. current — happening now
  9. press — a publisher
  10. wax — to grow
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. press — to push
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. face — part of the head
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pound — a weight
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. face — to point toward
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pound — to hit hard

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