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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. root — of a word
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. current — of water
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. current — electric
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. root — the cause
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. net — in sport
  16. capital — money
  17. net — for catching
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. wax — to grow
  20. fork — in a road
  21. root — of a plant
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. net — after costs
  24. capital — a city

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