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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. tear — from crying
  3. current — electric
  4. tear — to rip
  5. current — of water
  6. bear — the animal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bass — the fish
  10. chest — a box
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. land — to come down
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. current — happening now
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. chest — of your body
  21. land — ground
  22. rush — hurry
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bear — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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