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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. current — of water
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bank — for money
  5. pit — a hole
  6. tear — from crying
  7. content — the amount
  8. tube — a container
  9. current — electric
  10. content — happy
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. current — happening now
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. spell — letters
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. spell — magic
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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