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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 120 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. squash — to crush
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tear — to rip
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. tear — from crying
  13. current — of water
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. current — electric
  17. stem — to come from
  18. squash — the sport
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — all right
  24. tear — from crying

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