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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. land — ground
  5. fork — in a road
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bank — for money
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bank — for money
  13. current — electric
  14. bat — the animal
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. land — a country
  20. track — a path
  21. land — to come down
  22. mine — for digging
  23. current — of water
  24. fan — a supporter

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