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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. current — happening now
  3. rock — music
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. fall — the season
  17. object — an aim
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. net — after costs
  20. current — of water
  21. bound — obliged
  22. current — electric
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. object — to protest

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