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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — electric
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. rest — a break
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bulb — for light
  11. field — for sport
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. rest — what's left
  16. charge — a price
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. charge — in control
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. current — happening now
  23. spring — a coil
  24. charge — electricity

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