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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. present — a gift
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. face — to confront
  6. present — there
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. land — to come down
  9. present — the time now
  10. tube — the underground
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. land — a country
  13. land — ground
  14. tube — a container
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. current — of water
  18. stand — to bear
  19. face — part of the head
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. face — to point toward
  22. tear — from crying
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. current — electric

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