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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. tear — to rip
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. ground — a position
  5. date — the fruit
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. press — newspapers
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pop — soda
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. press — to push
  16. current — electric
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pop — music
  21. current — of water
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pop — to visit
  24. ground — crushed

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