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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. current — electric
  4. tear — from crying
  5. snap — to click
  6. tear — to rip
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fork — in a road
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. lie — to recline
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. tear — from crying
  22. current — happening now
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — of a plant

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