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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. rash — hasty
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — an aim
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — the fish
  8. current — electric
  9. bulb — for light
  10. last — finally
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rash — a series
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. press — to push
  16. last — to go on
  17. current — happening now
  18. bass — low music
  19. last — final
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rash — on the skin

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