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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. band — a ring
  3. current — happening now
  4. capital — money
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — thin
  7. band — a music group
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bulb — for light
  10. capital — a city
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. land — a country
  13. bulb — for light
  14. current — electric
  15. land — ground
  16. lean — to bend
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. net — in sport
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. net — after costs
  21. land — to come down
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. net — for catching
  24. capital — a big letter

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