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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ground — crushed
  6. band — a music group
  7. stock — shares
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stock — goods
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. band — a ring
  14. ground — the earth
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — of water
  17. current — electric
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. ground — a position
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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