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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 116 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. charge — a price
  5. mine — for digging
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. stem — to come from
  11. charge — electricity
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. current — electric
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. charge — in control
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wound — an injury
  24. straw — a straw man

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