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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. saw — the tool
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. rash — a series
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. current — of water
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. branch — a division
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. saw — the tool
  16. current — electric
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rash — hasty
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. current — happening now
  24. rest — a break

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