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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. field — a subject
  4. wind — moving air
  5. current — of water
  6. land — a country
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. prune — to trim
  9. row — a line
  10. current — electric
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. row — to paddle
  15. wind — moving air
  16. land — ground
  17. current — happening now
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. land — to come down
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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