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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. face — to confront
  3. stem — to come from
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. cap — of ice
  6. suit — clothes
  7. current — electric
  8. face — to point toward
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bass — the fish
  11. suit — in cards
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. cap — a lid
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. land — to come down
  16. face — part of the head
  17. current — happening now
  18. suit — to fit
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. land — ground
  21. bass — low music
  22. cap — a hat
  23. land — a country
  24. bass — the instrument

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