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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. mine — for digging
  4. object — to protest
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wound — an injury
  8. face — part of the head
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. track — a song
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. current — electric
  13. perch — the fish
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. face — to point toward
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. track — a path
  18. current — happening now
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — an aim
  21. face — to confront
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. current — of water

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