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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. land — a country
  3. can — to be able to
  4. current — electric
  5. dip — to sink
  6. can — a tin
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. current — happening now
  12. land — to come down
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. can — a tin
  24. land — ground

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