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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. current — of water
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. current — electric
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — a weight
  15. squash — the sport
  16. mine — for digging
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. current — happening now
  21. row — to paddle
  22. rush — hurry
  23. row — a line
  24. wind — to turn a key

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