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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. current — of water
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. hand — help
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. march — music
  7. current — happening now
  8. root — of a word
  9. can — a tin
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bass — low music
  12. march — the month
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. can — to be able to
  16. current — electric
  17. lie — to recline
  18. can — a tin
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. root — of a plant
  23. march — the month
  24. root — the cause

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