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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. rock — a stone
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bound — tied together
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rock — music
  10. current — of water
  11. face — to confront
  12. current — electric
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bulb — for light
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bound — certain
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. rock — to move gently

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