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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — happening now
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ground — a position
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. roll — a list
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. current — electric
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. ground — the earth
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. perch — the fish
  16. ground — crushed
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bear — the animal
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bear — the animal
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. roll — a cake
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. ruler — a monarch

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