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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. root — of a plant
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. current — electric
  5. can — a tin
  6. object — an aim
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. can — to be able to
  13. current — happening now
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. current — of water
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. root — the cause
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mine — for digging
  20. root — of a word
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. object — a thing
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. can — a tin

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