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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 124 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. current — electric
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. pop — music
  6. lean — to bend
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. root — of a plant
  9. wound — an injury
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. ball — a dance
  12. lean — thin
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. root — of a word
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. current — happening now
  17. pop — soda
  18. rock — a stone
  19. root — the cause
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. pop — to visit
  23. ball — a great time
  24. current — of water

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