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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. land — to come down
  3. cap — a lid
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. cap — of ice
  11. current — of water
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. land — a country
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. cap — a hat
  18. wake — a trail
  19. current — happening now
  20. deal — to handle
  21. branch — a division
  22. tear — to rip
  23. current — electric
  24. land — ground

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