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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. roll — a cake
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. current — electric
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. roll — a list
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. branch — a division
  23. current — happening now
  24. straw — dry grass

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