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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. spring — the season
  3. tear — to rip
  4. spring — a coil
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. rest — a break
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spring — of water
  9. can — a tin
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bound — certain
  13. tear — from crying
  14. current — of water
  15. bound — tied together
  16. row — to paddle
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bound — obliged
  19. row — a line
  20. current — electric
  21. rest — what's left
  22. can — a tin
  23. craft — boats
  24. rest — what's left

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