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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — low music
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bound — certain
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bear — the animal
  12. shower — rain
  13. current — electric
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bear — the animal
  16. spring — of water
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bound — obliged
  21. cold — an illness
  22. current — happening now
  23. cold — not warm
  24. spring — the season

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