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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. drill — a practice
  3. current — of water
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rash — a series
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. drill — army training
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. hand — help
  15. last — final
  16. last — finally
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. branch — a division
  20. drill — the tool
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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