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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. current — happening now
  3. branch — a division
  4. current — electric
  5. land — a country
  6. land — ground
  7. rush — hurry
  8. track — a path
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. tube — the underground
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. tube — a container
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. current — of water
  17. bat — the animal
  18. track — to keep track
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. land — to come down
  21. vault — a safe
  22. track — a song
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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