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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 116 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. cap — of ice
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bank — for money
  6. content — happy
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bank — for money
  10. cap — a hat
  11. shower — to wash
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mate — a friend
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bank — of a river
  16. current — happening now
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mate — to breed
  19. tear — from crying
  20. content — the amount
  21. shower — rain
  22. current — electric
  23. cap — a lid
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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