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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ground — the earth
  3. tear — from crying
  4. current — of water
  5. net — for catching
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bank — for money
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bank — for money
  10. ground — crushed
  11. net — after costs
  12. current — happening now
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bank — of a river
  15. tear — to rip
  16. chest — a box
  17. ground — a position
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. chest — of your body
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. net — in sport
  24. current — electric

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