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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. current — happening now
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. current — electric
  7. current — of water
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. file — a tool
  13. ground — the earth
  14. file — a document
  15. field — a subject
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. lean — thin
  19. bear — the animal
  20. ground — a position
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bear — the animal

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