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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 120 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. current — happening now
  4. ground — the earth
  5. lean — to bend
  6. staff — employees
  7. ground — a position
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pound — a weight
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a ring
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. staff — employees
  16. current — of water
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. current — electric
  20. can — a tin
  21. lean — thin
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. band — a music group
  24. can — to be able to

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