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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bank — for money
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — for dancing
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bank — for money
  8. tear — to rip
  9. land — to come down
  10. race — a contest
  11. land — a country
  12. tear — from crying
  13. current — happening now
  14. land — ground
  15. bank — of a river
  16. pop — to visit
  17. row — a line
  18. pop — music
  19. race — the arms race
  20. club — a group
  21. current — of water
  22. race — humankind
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pop — soda

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