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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. capital — money
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lean — thin
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. current — electric
  7. current — happening now
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. current — of water
  10. rock — music
  11. scale — in music
  12. shower — rain
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. row — a line
  15. scale — size or range
  16. capital — a city
  17. row — to paddle
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rock — a stone
  22. wound — an injury
  23. row — a quarrel
  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