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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. current — electric
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — farmland
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. band — a ring
  12. current — of water
  13. branch — a division
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. band — a music group
  18. current — happening now
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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