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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. tear — from crying
  3. field — a subject
  4. dip — to sink
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. spell — a short time
  7. field — farmland
  8. stand — to bear
  9. spell — letters
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. current — happening now
  12. bound — obliged
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bound — certain
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. field — for sport
  18. current — electric
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bound — tied together
  24. spell — magic

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