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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. dip — to sink
  3. current — electric
  4. swing — in golf
  5. land — a country
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. swing — to play on
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. tube — a container
  11. rash — a series
  12. current — of water
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. land — to come down
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. tube — the underground
  20. land — ground
  21. current — happening now
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. swing — music

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