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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. current — electric
  4. march — music
  5. stand — to bear
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. current — happening now
  9. bound — certain
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bound — tied together
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. tear — from crying
  18. march — the month
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bound — obliged
  21. march — the month
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. tear — to rip

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