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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 120 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. current — electric
  3. press — newspapers
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. band — a ring
  8. dip — to sink
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. tear — from crying
  12. band — a music group
  13. tear — to rip
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. press — a publisher
  17. current — of water
  18. press — to push
  19. current — happening now
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. deal — to handle
  24. dip — a sauce

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