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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. tear — from crying
  4. current — happening now
  5. ground — a position
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. current — of water
  13. bank — for money
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. mine — for digging
  18. tear — to rip
  19. current — electric
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ground — the earth
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. ball — a round shape

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