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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. can — a tin
  5. spring — the season
  6. plane — a tool
  7. spring — a coil
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. can — a tin
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. ground — crushed
  14. current — electric
  15. spring — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a music group
  22. ground — a position
  23. can — to be able to
  24. ground — the earth

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