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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. current — happening now
  4. pop — soda
  5. lean — thin
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. root — of a plant
  10. ground — crushed
  11. can — a tin
  12. root — of a word
  13. can — a tin
  14. pop — to visit
  15. ground — the earth
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. ground — a position
  18. can — to be able to
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. land — to come down
  21. current — electric
  22. pop — music
  23. root — the cause
  24. lean — to bend

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