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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. prune — to trim
  5. net — for catching
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. field — a subject
  8. capital — money
  9. net — in sport
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. dip — to sink
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. field — farmland
  15. current — happening now
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. current — electric
  19. net — after costs
  20. field — for sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. capital — a city
  24. cabinet — ministers

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