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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — electric
  3. suit — clothes
  4. suit — to fit
  5. mark — a grade
  6. row — a line
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. mark — a trace
  10. ball — a dance
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. suit — in cards
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. spring — the season
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. ball — a great time
  18. land — ground
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. land — to come down
  21. spring — of water
  22. row — to paddle
  23. land — a country
  24. current — happening now

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