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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. rule — a law
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. row — a line
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bank — for money
  7. stock — goods
  8. mug — a face
  9. bank — for money
  10. content — the amount
  11. current — electric
  12. rule — government
  13. content — happy
  14. mug — a cup
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bank — of a river
  20. row — to paddle
  21. current — happening now
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bulb — for light
  24. row — a quarrel

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