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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. tear — to rip
  4. current — electric
  5. bound — certain
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. stock — shares
  10. roll — a list
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bound — tied together
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bound — obliged
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. current — happening now
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. roll — a cake
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stock — goods
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. roll — on a roll

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