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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. current — electric
  3. last — to go on
  4. firm — decided
  5. field — farmland
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spring — the season
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. current — of water
  12. club — a group
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. spring — a coil
  16. firm — steady
  17. club — for golf
  18. spring — of water
  19. firm — a company
  20. field — for sport
  21. current — happening now
  22. club — for dancing
  23. track — to keep track
  24. field — a subject

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