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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 120 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. stand — to bear
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. saw — the tool
  9. current — electric
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. current — of water
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bank — for money
  16. band — a music group
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. bank — for money
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. tear — from crying

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