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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bank — for money
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. drill — a practice
  5. cap — of ice
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. spring — the season
  9. current — happening now
  10. drill — army training
  11. current — electric
  12. lie — to recline
  13. spring — of water
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cap — a hat
  17. spring — a coil
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bank — of a river
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bank — for money
  22. chair — a leader
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. chair — to sit on

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