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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. pound — a weight
  3. staff — a stick
  4. firm — a company
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. staff — employees
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wake — a trail
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — decided
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. current — electric
  13. staff — employees
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. saw — the tool
  17. net — for catching
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. current — happening now

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