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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. clip — for paper
  3. rush — hurry
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. shower — rain
  6. clip — to cut
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. spring — of water
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. foot — a measure
  13. spring — a coil
  14. clip — a video
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. rock — music
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. shower — to wash
  20. spring — the season
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. current — happening now
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. current — electric

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