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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. object — a thing
  3. net — for catching
  4. object — an aim
  5. current — electric
  6. bank — of a river
  7. shower — to wash
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. current — of water
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bank — for money
  13. net — in sport
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. tear — to rip
  16. current — happening now
  17. object — to protest
  18. shower — rain
  19. bank — for money
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. tear — from crying
  23. net — after costs
  24. field — a subject

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