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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. mug — to rob
  4. current — happening now
  5. cell — a phone
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. current — of water
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cell — in biology
  13. mug — a face
  14. wake — a trail
  15. mine — for digging
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bore — to tire
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. lean — thin
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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