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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. degree — temperature
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rule — government
  7. bound — certain
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lie — to recline
  11. current — of water
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. rule — a law
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bound — tied together
  19. current — electric
  20. stem — to come from
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wound — an injury

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