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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. spell — magic
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — electric
  5. dip — to sink
  6. spell — letters
  7. current — of water
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. tear — to rip
  10. spell — a short time
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rock — music
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rock — a stone
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fall — to drop
  24. dip — a sauce

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