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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wound — an injury
  4. current — electric
  5. current — of water
  6. key — in music
  7. bound — tied together
  8. spring — a coil
  9. tear — from crying
  10. current — happening now
  11. spring — the season
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bound — certain
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. tear — to rip
  17. wound — an injury
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bound — obliged
  20. spring — of water
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. foot — a measure

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