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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. mine — for digging
  3. can — a tin
  4. current — electric
  5. mark — a trace
  6. band — a ring
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. mark — a grade
  9. current — of water
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ground — the earth
  13. can — a tin
  14. current — happening now
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. can — to be able to
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — thin
  20. ground — a position
  21. band — a music group
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. band — a rubber band

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