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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. deal — to handle
  3. wound — an injury
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. current — electric
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — a gift
  9. object — an aim
  10. scale — size or range
  11. object — a thing
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. current — happening now
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mark — a trace
  18. scale — in music
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mark — a grade
  21. object — to protest
  22. present — there
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. mark — to pay attention

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