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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. suit — clothes
  4. swing — in golf
  5. current — electric
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. swing — to play on
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. snap — to click
  11. suit — to fit
  12. shower — to wash
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. current — happening now
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wind — moving air
  18. current — of water
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mine — for digging
  21. swing — music
  22. suit — in cards
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. shower — rain

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