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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. current — electric
  4. pound — a weight
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stem — to come from
  7. cold — an illness
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mate — a partner
  13. rash — a series
  14. shower — to wash
  15. current — happening now
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. current — of water
  18. shower — rain
  19. object — an aim
  20. mate — to breed
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. cold — not warm
  23. object — a thing
  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